Editor’s note: This story has been updated to reflect current vote totals as of Wednesday evening.
SAN DIEGO — A tight contest has developed in the race for an open San Diego City Council seat in Tuesday’s primary election, while all three incumbents seeking re-election build early leads.
Two days after the primary election, early results show Democrat Kent Lee is up about 3% over fellow Democrat Tommy Hough for District 6, though many ballots remain to be counted.
Monica Montgomery Steppe and Vivian Moreno both have commanding leads in their districts while Dr. Jennifer Campbell is in a tight race for the District 2 seat.
A total of 14 candidates are vying for four seats available on San Diego’s City Council, which will then move to a final showdown between the top two vote-getters in each district and be decided by voters in a November runoff election.
Here is where the races stood after officials released the early results:
DISTRICT 6
The district includes University City, Sorrento Valley, Kearny Mesa, Mira Mesa, Miramar and Scripps Ranch.
Democrats Kent Lee and Tommy Hough were neck-and-neck as they battle for the District 6 seat last filled by Chris Cate who termed out. Lone Republican Jane L. Glasson was in third with about 22% of the vote.
Lee: A number of key local Democrats have endorsed the executive director of Pacific Arts Movement, including Mayor Todd Gloria and six members of the council.
Hough: Having been in this position before, the county planning commissioner advanced out of the primary in 2018 before falling about 3,500 votes shy of Cate in the general election.
Glasson: A special education assistant who also ran for the District 6 seat in 2014.
DISTRICT 2
The district includes Clairemont, Midway District, Mission Beach, Ocean Beach and Point Loma.
Incumbent Democrat Dr. Jennifer Campbell built an early lead with nearly 30% of the vote while her closest challenger, lone Republican Dr. Linda Lukacs, was at about 25%. Lori Saldaña and Joel Day trail for the third and fourth spots, respectively.
Campbell: A family physician who was elected to represent the district in 2018, giving the Democrats a 6-3 council majority. Her priorities include housing, public safety and the environment.
Lukacs: The District 2 candidate supports issues like affordable housing and increased training opportunities for law enforcement agencies.
Saldaña: She has served eight years in the California State Assembly, authoring bills on gun safety, hate crimes, climate change, energy efficiency and environmental protection.
Day: The public policy educator was once a department director under Mayor Kevin Faulconer’s administration.
DISTRICT 4
The district includes Alta Vista, Chollas View, Emerald Hills, Encanto, Greater Skyline Hills, Lincoln Park, Jamacha/Lomita, North Bay Terrace, Oak Park, O’Farrell, Paradise Hills, South Bay Terrace, Valencia Park and Webster.
Early results show Monica Montgomery Steppe leading overwhelmingly with about 71% of the vote against nonpartisans Gloria Evangelista and Tylisa D. Suseberry.
Montgomery Steppe: She chairs the council’s Public Safety and Livable Neighborhoods Committee, falling just shy of being elected the body’s president in 2020.
Evangelista: One of her top priorities include promoting policies bringing in healthier food businesses to revitalize District 4, the dietitian told the San Diego Union-Tribune in an interview.
Suseberry: A nonprofit organizer who has worked for the city of San Diego, 4th District councilmember Myrtle Cole and County Board of Supervisors Dave Roberts.
DISTRICT 8
The district includes Barrio Logan, Egger Highlands, Grant Hill, Logan Heights, Memorial, Nestor, Ocean View Hills, Otay Mesa East, Otay Mesa West, San Ysidro, Shelltown, Sherman Heights and the Tijuana River Valley.
In a rematch of the 2018 race, incumbent Vivian Moreno leads in early results with about 63% of the vote while Antonio Martinez trails with nearly 37%.
Moreno: Serving as the chair of the Land Use and Housing Committee and vice-chair of the Audit Committee, Moreno has received endorsements from notable local figures such as Sen. Toni Atkins, Chair of the San Diego County Board of Supervisors Nathan Fletcher, Montgomery Steppe and the mayors of Chula Vista and National City.
Martinez: Currently working as a community representative for U.S. Rep. Juan Vargas, Martinez targets community infrastructure, affordable housing and building healthy communities as priorities.
FOX 5’s Dillon Davis contributed to this story.
