For the wounded California Republican Party a win by farmer Andy Vidak in the 16th Senate District would be a shot of adrenaline. As of this writing, Vidak holds a 54% to 46% lead over Democrat Leticia Perez, or a little less than 6000 votes. However, there are many absentee and provisional votes that have not been counted. In the primary election, Perez’s strength with the late ballots prevented Vidak from winning outright by attaining 50% of the vote.
A win by Vidak would threaten the Democrats supermajority in the state senate and give Republicans hope that recruiting a good candidate with a strong identification in their district can bring victory.
The current senate district has a one-sided registration advantage for the Democrats—50% to 28%. A Republican win can send a strong message that Republicans can succeed when the numbers are against them.
The win, if it happens, would boost new state Republican chairman Jim Brulte in his effort to rebuild the party and recruit candidates that fit their districts.
More importantly, it may free up money from usual Republican donors, including some members of the business community, who are sitting on their hands wondering which is the best Democrat to support in upcoming elections.
But, the results are not all in. We will have to see if Vidak’s lead holds. Fox and Hounds will have further analysis of this race from veteran political analyst Tony Quinn later in the week when the election results become clearer.