Rigard advances in 9th Assembly District primary race, set to face Cooper in November

Assemblymember Jim Cooper (left) will face Republican Eric Rigard (center) in November with Tracie Stafford's
third-place finish in the 9th Assembly District primary. | 

In a hard-fought battle for the second-place finish in the primary contest for California's 9th Assembly District, Lodi Republican prevailed over Elk Grove Democratic candidate Tracie Stafford and will advance to the November general election to challenge Democratic incumbent Jim Cooper of Elk Grove.

Although Stafford held out hope as more votes in Sacramento, it would push her into second place, the last two vote tallies failed to deliver that result. While she did move past Rigard into second place in Sacramento County, overall, she remained in third place district-wide. 

In Sacramento County, Cooper received 46-percent with 45,310; Stafford has 25-percent with 25,415, and Rigard had 25-percent with 25,018 votes. The difference for Rigard was his strong showing in the San Joaquin County portion of the 9th District, where he received 52-percent with 7,175 votes for a first-place finish to Stafford's third-place finish with 14-percent or 1,880 votes.  

Cooper, who is seeking his fourth term with his substantial financial advantage and name recognition, is expected to have a relatively easy reelection campaign.  

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