San Jose Planning Commission Chair Anthony Tordillos says he’s won second place in the District 3 City Council special election and will head to the June 24 runoff.
A one-day recount Thursday appears to have affirmed Tordillos’ six-vote lead for second place over Matthew Quevedo, deputy chief of staff for Mayor Matt Mahan. Official election results will be certified Monday, and they could send Tordillos to face off against Latina Coalition of Silicon Valley Executive Director Gabby Chavez-Lopez, who placed first in the special election. A total of 9,105 ballots were cast.
“While this has been a long process, with many twists and turns, I am very excited that our campaign will advance to the June 24th run-off election. I want to thank my team, donors, and the volunteers who all made this possible,” Tordillos said in a statement claiming victory. “As we prepare for the next chapter of this campaign, I’d also like to thank Matthew Quevedo, Irene Smith, Adam Duran, Tyrone Wade, and Phillip Dolan for all stepping up and volunteering to serve our community in this turbulent time.”
When reached for comment, Tordillos referred this news organization to his statement.
Quevedo said while the margin is small, the result is “clear.”
“We are never going to stop fighting for the common-sense policies that will help end the era of street homelessness, create affordable housing where it makes the most sense, bring safe and clean streets to every neighborhood and make San Jose more small-business friendly so more families have a path to economic security,” Quevedo told San José Spotlight.
The results are a discouraging sign for Mahan, who put the full force of his political machine behind Quevedo — who raised the most campaign cash. Tordillos and Chavez-Lopez are both backed by Mahan’s critics in the Santa Clara County Democratic Party.
It’s the fourth San Jose race to trigger a recount in eight years — highlighting the unique political environment around the nation’s tech capital, which has become a microcosm for American politics in the digital age and heated issues such as homelessness and affordable housing.
Contact Brandon Pho at [email protected] or @brandonphooo on X.
Story updated April 27 at 2:38 p.m. Original story published April 27 at 2 p.m.
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