Clarissa Cervantes declared victory Thursday night, March 28, in the neck-and-neck battle for the second and final November ballot spot in the 58th Assembly District race.
Results posted by the secretary of state Friday morning, March 29, show Cervantes with a 208-vote lead over her Riverside City Council colleague Ronaldo Fierro for second place in the March 5 primary.
Republican Leticia Castillo is in first and will appear on the November general election ballot.
“With just a handful of ballots likely to be counted, it’s become clear that I’ll be advancing to the general election,” Cervantes, the sister of Assemblymember Sabrina Cervantes, D-Riverside, said in a news release.
“I am incredibly honored, and I want to thank every single voter who cast a ballot for me in the 58th State Assembly District and all those who participated.”
Fierro’s campaign did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Created through 2021 redistricting, the 58th represents Jurupa Valley, Grand Terrace and parts of Riverside, Corona and Eastvale.
Cervantes and Fierro — both Democrats — have been locked in a tight race for second since election night. California’s primary system sends the top two vote-getters, regardless of party, to the general election.
Early on, the Cervantes and Fierro leapfrogged over each other for second with the margin between them often fewer than 20 votes. In more recent updates, Cervantes has maintained leads of 100-plus votes.
The leadup to the primary featured a blitz of negative ads. Funded by Uber and pharmaceutical interests among others, pro-Fierro independent expenditure committees focused on Cervantes’ two drunk driving convictions — including one in summer — and called her undeserving of voters’ support.
Cervantes fired back with ads portraying Fierro as beholden to deep-pocketed special interests.
While Castillo finished first, the Democrat she’ll face will start out with an advantage in the general election. Democrats hold a 17-percentage-point edge in the 58th’s voter registration.
California counties have until Thursday, April 4, to deliver final election results to the secretary of state, which will certify the primary on or before Friday, April 12.
