SAN DIEGO — Results from the Aug. 15 special election for the vacant District 4 seat on the San Diego County Board of Supervisors indicate that Monica Montgomery Steppe and Amy Reichert will head to a runoff in November.
Montgomery Steppe, a Democrat and current San Diego City Councilmember, gained a clear lead on election night in the four-person race, reaching 41% or 39,793 votes as of Aug. 21. Reichert, a Republican and founder of ReOpen San Diego, came in second with just under 29% or 27,634 votes.
Janessa Goldbeck, also a Democrat, was around four percentage points behind Reichert, and Republican Paul McQuigg remained far behind with about 4% of the vote.
With just 1,300 votes remaining to be counted as of Aug. 21, no candidate will officially earn the majority vote of at least 50% required to claim the seat before November. Still, frontrunner Montgomery Steppe shared her excitement about the results on election night.
“Together, we can make history and invest in tackling homelessness, promote a holistic public safety ecosystem, and invest in our people,” Montgomery Steppe said on Aug. 15. “Together, we can bring our shared vision for people-centered leadership to the San Diego County Board of Supervisors.”
Reichert indicated she is looking forward to November and thanked her supporters.
“Excited and grateful to have secured a spot in the runoff,” Reichert said on Aug. 17. “A massive shoutout to all who cast their votes and stood with us. The road ahead leads to November, and I can’t wait to keep pushing for positive change together!”
The next update in results is expected on Aug. 25, according to the Registrar of Voters.
District 4 is the smallest geographically of the county’s five districts, consisting of central San Diego, La Mesa, Lemon Grove, as far north as Clairemont Mesa and portions of Kearny Mesa, as far south as Paradise Valley, as far east as south El Cajon and west as far as Mission Hills.
Voter turnout in this special election was around 24%, well below what is seen in general elections.
The successful candidate will fill the seat for the remainder of the current term ending in January 2027. Democrat-registered voters outnumber Republicans nearly three to one in the district.
Goldbeck thanked her supporters on Thursday and called Montgomery Steppe to congratulate her.
“Friends — there are still thousands of ballots left to count, but unfortunately, it appears that our campaign does not have a path to victory,” Goldbeck said. “I am grateful to everyone who supported our campaign, especially those of you who spent your personal time, treasure, and talent to help us talk to voters about our vision for a brighter, better San Diego County.”
Mail ballots are still coming in. Those sent before or on Aug. 15 have seven days to arrive if postmarked by Election Day. Additionally, there are provisional ballots. People who missed the July 31 registration deadline could have conditionally registered and voted provisionally in person up to and on Election Day.
The results must be certified by Sept. 14.
The District 4 seat became open after former Supervisor Nathan Fletcher resigned from the board due to allegations of sexual assault and harassment by a former transit employee.
City News Service contributed to this report.
