Politics & Government

Election Wrap: Supe Rabbitt Re-Elected; Fudge, Gore Head to November Runoff

Sonoma County Supervisor David Rabbitt retained his District 2 seat on the board by defeating challenger John King, according to unofficial election results Tuesday night.

In the District 4 race, Windsor City Councilwoman Deb Fudge and James Gore placed in the top two among five candidates and will run against each other in November.

Rabbitt, 53, an architect, received 9, 65.4 percent of the southern Sonoma County vote.

[Related: UPDATED: Preliminary Election Results for Sonoma County Candidates.]

His challenger, farmer John King, 57, got 34.1 percent of the vote. Rabbitt, the board chair for two consecutive years, ran on his experience and accomplishments on the board during his first term.

He cited his and the board's efforts to reduce pensions by $170 million over the next 10 years and a doubling of spending in one year to improve the poor condition of county roads.

[Related: Election Wrap: Voters Approve 6 Measures in Sonoma County.]

Rabbitt also said he has protected the environment and water resources, opened more regional parks and expanded health care access to county residents. King, a fourth generation farmer and organic silage producer, has been active in water management issues in the county and has been critical of unexplained pension spending.

He said he opposed sending more water to Marin County especially during the current drought. Fudge, 58, received 36.8 percent of the vote, and Gore, 61, got 34.7 percent.

[Related: Neel Kashkari: The Man Who Will Square off with Gov. Brown.]

The five candidates in the race were vying for Supervisor Mike McGuire's seat. McGuire appears to have been elected Tuesday to the District 2 state Senate seat.

Five-term Windsor City Councilwoman Fudge said the race comes down to experience, and she has witnessed the transformation of Windsor from an exit on U.S. Highway 101 to "a town with heart."

Fudge said she has helped protect open space, make Sonoma County a leader in solar power and energy efficiency and helped farmers and vineyards get water they need.

Fudge has served on the Sonoma-Marin Area Rail Transit District's board of directors since 2005.

As a supervisor she said she will work to expand and retain existing businesses, repave roads, and promote economic development and tourism. If elected in November, she will be the third woman on the five-member board.

Gore, 36, was appointed by President Obama to serve as Assistant Chief of the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Natural Resources Conservation Service.

He said his election would provide a fresh perspective on a host of issues involving water shortages and droughts, wasteful government spending, public schools, senior programs and road infrastructure.

At his former job in the federal government, Gore said he's led agriculture and conservation efforts nationally and locally. The other candidates were Ken Churchill, who received 12.7 percent, Pete Foppiano, who got 11.3 percent, and Keith Rhinehart with 4.2 percent.

Related election coverage:


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