Friends,
The votes have been counted, and I’m thrilled to confirm that we’ve won the primary election by a margin of nearly 13,500 votes, with voter turnout in our district significantly beating earlier projections. Having received 30% more votes than the next closest Democratic contender, I will be our party’s candidate in the November general election. I am profoundly honored, and immeasurably grateful for your support.
A special thank you to the people who knew me best, no matter what absurd smears the barrage of daily attack mailers tried to peddle. I was the only candidate to win an outright majority in their home city. Among the Democratic candidates, we received nearly two-thirds of the vote in West Sacramento and 55% of the vote in Yolo County (winning by a large margin in all four cities). My hometown and our neighbors never wavered, and my heart is full with appreciation. Serving as mayor and successfully transforming West Sacramento was the great honor of my life, even more so now that I may be the first-ever state legislator to hail from the city.
Remarkably, though, we prevailed even without Yolo County, winning a majority of the other counties in the district, too (including the largest, Solano County). I ran to be a champion for every part of our diverse district, from its rural towns to mid-sized cities, so I was proud to be the sole candidate to place in the top three in every one of the six counties in the district. Thank you to the countless community leaders, activists, entrepreneurs, working men and women, small business owners, elected officials, and friends in Solano, Napa, Contra Costa, Sacramento, and Sonoma who gave me a chance, introduced me to thousands of people in their communities, and helped to build a movement.
This was a historic election for inclusive representation. Two years ago, four women served on county boards of supervisors within the 3rd Senate District. But with last Tuesday’s results, the voters have now elected 11 women as county supervisors—more than half the total. Solano County will have its first-ever female supervisorial majority. And women will hold all of the seats on Napa County’s board.
When we defeat the pro-Trump Republican in November, I’ll be the first Filipino American to ever serve in the State Senate, the first person of color ever to represent this district in California’s history, and the first LGBTQ person to represent the North Bay, Contra Costa, or Sacramento Valley in state or federal office. And, in a major historic milestone, I’ll join a State Senate where women comprise a majority for the first time ever.
A campaign isn’t just about meeting people and sharing your policy priorities. A good campaign changes you, the candidate. It makes you a different person than you started as, seeing places, people, problems, and possibilities through new lenses. It imbues you with new stories and anecdotes that help you understand and fire you up. Thank you for opening your hearts, painting vivid pictures of what you value, and sharing the hopes and concerns that propel you forward.
