The Associated Press on Tuesday declared that the two top vote-getters in the 8th Congressional District race, U.S. Rep. John Garamendi, a Democrat, and Republican Rudy Recile of Vallejo, will advance to a November run-off.
Two Democrat challengers with west Contra Costa ties, Aaron Rowden of Tara Hills and Nicolas Carjuzaa of Martinez, were trailing behind according to unofficial relection results updated as of 11:15 p.m. Tuesday night.
The district represents parts of Contra Costa, Solano and Sacramento counties.
None of Garamendi’s three challengers have served public office in California while Garamendi has been involved in state politics for more than 50 years. Recile, an Army veteran, has run for Congress unsuccessfully twice. Rowden, a former attorney, served on a town council in Maine and was a recreation and parks commissioner in Richmond. Carjuzaa, a former financial regulator, volunteered on several successful national campaigns.
It will likely take some time for all of the votes to come in. During the 2024 California congressional elections, it took 10 days for 95% of the total votes to be counted.
Although there are still many votes to be tallied, Garamendi has a large lead.
Garamendi, who is currently in Washington D.C., spoke to Richmondside shortly before the polls closed. He said that, if the results ended up in his favor, he would be “very pleased and excited to be able to move on to the November election.”
“I want to be able to use the experience and knowledge that I’ve acquired over the many years in many different positions to really advance the well-being of the men and women and families that reside in the 8th Congressional District,” Garamendi said.
Garamendi said he intends to spend the coming months focusing on advancing the SHIPS Act, which he said would help rebuild the American maritime industry and offers an opportunity for the Bay Area to regain its prominence and be a repair location. He also plans to continue working on advancing legislation as a senior member of the Transportation Infrastructure Committee, which he called “crucial for the Bay Area,” and will include BART and bus funding.
Shortly before 10 p.m., Garamendi’s press office issued a press release announcing Garamendi as victorious.
Recile was firmly in the runner-up position so it appears he’ll advance to the run-off against Garamendi, who he lost to in the 2022 and 2024 general elections, each time by roughly 50 percentage points. Recile has not responded to multiple inquiries for comment from Richmondside.
Carjuzaa is currently in third place but received 12% of the vote in Contra Costa County so far.
He told Richmondside earlier in the evening that he’s “so proud of the campaign we ran, and I’m looking forward to the results.”
Rowden did not respond to multiple requests for comment.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Carjuzaa is the only actual challenger to Garamendi worth considering. Rowden should have never put his name on the ballot to split votes when he hasn’t been running a campaign. Carjuzaa has a clear vision for the future, has actual local support and a compelling background. He also has a cordial relationship with the incumbent and has run a positive campaign— it’s just time for change.