Democrats Stephanie Nguyen and Eric Guerra take top spots in California Assembly race
Sacramento City Councilman Eric Guerra and Elk Grove Councilwoman Stephanie Nguyen took the top spots in Tuesday’s primary for Assembly District 10, a contest marked by urban-suburban tensions over homelessness and immigration.
Unofficial returns show Nguyen with 33.4% of the vote and Guerra with 26.8%. Both are Democrats.
Elk Grove resident Eric Rigard, the lone Republican candidate, received 26.7%. Democrat Tecoy Porter, who lives in Elk Grove and pastors a Sacramento church, had 7.2%.
The top two vote-getters, regardless of party, advance to the November general election.
Assembly District 10, newly drawn based on 2020 census data, includes both Elk Grove and southeast Sacramento. The seat opened up to new candidates after incumbent Assemblyman Jim Cooper decided to run for sheriff of Sacramento County rather than seek a fifth term.
The competition between Guerra and Nguyen led to attack ads drawing battle lines between the city and the suburb.
An anti-Guerra mailer, juxtaposing a homeless encampment in Sacramento and a pristine park in Elk Grove, said: “We don’t need Sacramento politicians representing Elk Grove.” The ad questioned Guerra’s record on helping homeless residents attain permanent housing — a major problem for Sacramento leaders.
Guerra and Nguyen raised the most campaign dollars and caught the attention of political action committees (PACs). They spent hundreds of thousands of dollars attacking Nguyen and trying to push Guerra through the primary and into the general election.
One PAC sponsored an anti-Nguyen mailer that tried to link her to former President Donald Trump through Sacramento County Sheriff Scott Jones, who is running for Congress.
“Scott Jones stood with Trump to attack Sacramento’s laws protecting immigrants, and then Stephanie Nguyen endorsed him,” the ad said.
Nguyen’s campaign pushed back, citing her role as executive director of Asian Resources, Inc., a nonprofit that serves immigrants and refugees.
“Stephanie gets up every day and helps immigrant families,” said Andrew Acosta, Nguyen’s political consultant. “That’s what she does. That’s her job as a resource center.”
Guerra got significant support from a PAC backed by the California Apartment Association and the California Association of Realtors, as well as a PAC backed by charter schools.
This story was originally published June 7, 2022 at 8:39 PM with the headline "Democrats Stephanie Nguyen and Eric Guerra take top spots in California Assembly race."