The 2013 political showdown for mayor of San Diego reached a crescendo Nov. 19, setting up a runoff election sometime in February between District 2 City Councilman Kevin Faulconer (R) and District 8 City Councilman David Alvarez (D). According to semi-official results from the San Diego County Registrar of Voters Office — with 100 percent of the precincts counted — Faulconer was the runaway leader, collecting 44 percent of the ballots (89,043 votes), followed by Alvarez with 26 percent (52,283 votes).
Democrat Nathan Fletcher, however, was barely trailing Alvarez with 24 percent (49,645 votes). However, on Nov. 20, Fletcher conceded and lent his endorsement to Alvarez in the runoff election, even though there are still 34,500 mail-in and provisional ballots yet to be counted, according to city spokesman Juan Alvarez.
Former City Attorney Mike Aguirre did not fare well in his bid for mayor, collecting a little more than 4 percent of the vote (9,801 votes)
The mail-in and provisional ballots are expected to be counted next week and could be certified as early as the end of next week, according to Alvarez.
Voter turnout for the election was estimated between 30-35 percent.
Thanking his major opponents Fletcher, Aguirre and Alvarez for “sacrificing their time to make San Diego better,” Faulconer said he began his campaign with a simple promise, “That together, we will restore trust and integrity to City Hall.”Now more than ever, San Diegans need a leader with a vision for this city — and the experience to make it happen; a leader San Diegans can trust — trust to lead with principles not partisanship; trust to put your city first,” Faulconer said on election night. “We took that message to the voters and guess what? You all agree.”
Discussing his vision, Faulconer said, “We can achieve great things when we stop focusing on what divides us and start focusing on what brings us together. I see a San Diego with beautiful parks and quality education for our children. I see a San Diego with smooth roads and great neighborhoods so every family, no matter where you live, feels safe. I see a San Diego where even the less fortunate among us have the opportunity for a good paying job to put their children through school, buy a home and live the American Dream. I see a San Diego where our communities are finally — FINALLY — put first.
Faulconer said the runoff election for mayor early next year will present a clear choice.
“Do we let our city fall back into the grip of the same government special interests who drove us to the brink of bankruptcy and took money away from our streets, parks, libraries and police officers?,” he asked. “Or do we choose a new path that finally lifts these so instead of imagining a brighter future, we actually live it?”
“With integrity and honest leadership at City Hall, imagine what we can accomplish next,” said Faulconer.
Meanwhile, xoming from single-digit support when the race kicked off, to ending up with more than 25 percent of the vote on Nov. 19, Alvarez gained traction every day with a positive, grassroots campaign that focused on describing his vision for a San Diego for everyone and every neighborhood.
“We started this campaign as an underdog, but we stuck to our values and talked about the issues that our neighbors, co-workers, friends and family care about — getting to the finish line with an amazing amount of momentum,” Alvarez said.
Although provisionary votes are still being counted, Fletcher, conceded and endorsed Alvarez, saying he’ll put his full support behind Alvarez.
Alvarez said he responded with appreciation for Fletcher’s public service and backing.
“I want to thank Nathan for his support,” said Alvarez. “He has been, and continues to be, someone who has put community service above himself,” Alvarez said. “We share a vision for the future of San Diego, where we invest in our neighborhoods, protect our environment and strengthen the middle class. I look forward to broadening the coalition of San Diegans who share that vision too.”
Fletcher, a Qualcomm executive, reportedly will return to private life and give up politics. He was quoted in the San Diego Union-Tribune as saying, [Alvarez] will make a great mayor. I leave today with my head held high about the campaign we ran … I wanted to be the mayor and I really wanted to be the mayor that really led and advanced our city. We came up a little bit short.”
For the latest in election numbers, visit www.sdcounty.ca.gov/voters/results/election.xml.