Hollister
– Local restaurateur and unopposed republican nominee for the
28th District Assembly seat Ignacio Velazquez filed this week as a
write-in democratic candidate for the June 6 primary in a move
designed to garner him additional support in the heavily Democratic
district.
Hollister – Local restaurateur and unopposed republican nominee for the 28th District Assembly seat Ignacio Velazquez filed this week as a write-in democratic candidate for the June 6 primary in a move designed to garner him additional support in the heavily Democratic district.
Salinas Mayor Anna Caballero and Watsonville Councilwoman Ana Ventura-Phares, who are both vying for the Democratic nomination, aren’t worried about Velazquez’s write-in campaign.
“Write-in campaigns are very difficult. The only way you can do it is with high name visibility,” Caballero said Tuesday. “And polls we’ve done show his name isn’t known outside of San Benito County.”
San Benito County contains 17 percent of the registered voters in the 28th assembly district whereas the city of Salinas contains 37 percent, Caballero said.
Velazquez, owner of American Electrical Systems and The Vault restaurant in Hollister, said his “unorthodox” dual-party strategy came after talking with voters on the campaign trail.
“People were saying they weren’t happy with either Anna or Ana and they wish they had another choice,” he said. “So we decided to do this.”
Although his name won’t appear on the Republican ballot, Velazquez is a qualified write-in candidate. Earlier this week, he sent out 30,000 mailers explaining the write-in process to democrats throughout the district.
Caballero said the strategy is a long-shot at best, even in San Benito County where Velazquez is best known.
“I don’t think the democrats in San Benito County will be writing his name in. (Velazquez) has a hard row to hoe,” she said. “They won’t abandon their party, especially in the primary, for a Republican in disguise.”
Ventura-Phares Campaign Manager Skylar Porras said her camp is “confident that voters will elect a real democrat.”
Despite the skepticism of his opponents, Velazquez is confident the write-in strategy will pay off.
“I’m not looking for hard-core democrats or closed-minded people,” he said. “If people want higher taxes and fewer services they have two candidates with a proven track record for that.”
Brett Rowland covers public safety and state politics for the Free Lance. He can be reached at 831-637-5566 ext. 330 or [email protected].
