Kent Lee on Thursday declared victory over fellow Democrat Tommy Hough for the open seat in San Diego’s District 6 race.
Nonprofit director Lee and environmental activist Hough squared off in a bid to replace termed-out Councilman Chris Cate, the only Republican currently on the San Diego City Council.
Lee held a strong lead – more than 15% – in the race as ballot counting continued, and he took to Twitter to declare victory.
“We did it,” he wrote. “Our District 6 communities have spoken and I’m so humbled and grateful to have earned the trust and support of so many of our neighbors. I am especially excited to continue my work on behalf of all of our communities as your next City Council member.”
Lee is a first-generation immigrant who studied at UC San Diego. He was the executive director of Pacific Arts Movement, a media arts organization focusing on Asian, Asian American and Pacific Islander cinema that hosts the annual San Diego Asian Film Festival.
He stepped down from the role to campaign.
“Over our last 16 years of living in District 6, things have changed dramatically,” Lee said. “The cost of housing, interest rates, and other economic factors have made housing more challenging for all San Diegans. No single solution exists to solve the housing crisis, and so the leadership necessary to avert this crisis will lie in coherent ideas, decisive action, and strategic collaboration across our region.”
In District 2, incumbent Jen Campbell was besting dentist/professor Linda Lukacs by 10 points as results continued to be tallied from Tuesday’s election.
In District 4, meanwhile, incumbent Monica Montgomery Steppe easily bested Gloria Evangelista. District 8 Councilwoman Vivian Moreno defeated Antonio Martinez.
– City News Service