ARROYO LEADS IN RACE FOR 4TH DISTRICT SUPE
Depending on upcoming vote tallies, there's potential for a runoff
The race for the 4th district seat on the Humboldt County Board of Supervisors is still too close to call and could result in a runoff election this fall, but so far there’s a clear lead.
Eureka City Councilmember Natalie Arroyo is leading the race with 50.21% of the votes tallied so far, followed by Humboldt County Planning Commissioner Mike Newman, who garnered 34.71% of the vote, and Eureka City Councilmember Kim Bergel, who received 15.08% of the vote.
“It’s really up in the air still,” Arroyo told The TimesStandard. “I’m feeling very
positive, it’s great to see the votes in support of me so far. I’m hoping that this won’t go to a runoff.”
A runoff election will take place in the the fall if Arroyo does not secure the majority, 50% plus one vote.
“It would be great to have a healthy margin beyond that because that would make it abundantly clear who the winner is and avoid a recount,” Arroyo said.
The 4th District seat is being left vacant by Virginia Bass, who has been the district’s supervisor since 2010. Bass decided not to run for re-election following her third term.
Supervisors are elected to four-year terms, during which
they are expected to pass legislation, set policies, approve budgets, hire staff, and oversee the administration of programs and services. They each make around $100,000 a year.
Arroyo received some of the biggest endorsements in the race, including one from U.S. Rep. Jared Huffman, while campaign finance reports show Newman’s race received the largest amount of cash donations. Newman’s campaign $64,255 in cash contributions to Arroyo’s $30,156. Bergel trailed the others in cash contributions, receiving a total $9,455.
Arroyo said she felt great about the campaign she ran, which included knocking on
almost 2,000 doors personally.
“I had a wonderful team of volunteers that went to many more houses and talked directly to voters,” Arroyo said. “I feel like that was really impactful as we’re seeing with the results.”
Arroyo added she was appreciative of the community members who did decide to support her, but also wanted those who didn’t support her to know that, if elected, she plans to serve everyone in the community.
“I look forward to really conversing with people even if we haven’t seen eye to eye so far,” Arroyo said.