County Board of Supervisors District 4
Bonnie Dumanis: 36%
Nathan Fletcher: 64%
UPDATED: 1:05 a.m., Nov. 7, 2018
The race to represent District 4 on the San Diego County Board of Supervisors has been among the most closely watched local races this election season, as Democrats hope to gain a foothold on the all-Republican body.
Democrat Nathan Fletcher, a Marine veteran and former state assemblyman, has mounted a fierce campaign against retired District Attorney Bonnie Dumanis, a Republican. Fletcher outraised and outspent Dumanis and boasted endorsements from high-profile Democrats such as Governor Jerry Brown and former Vice President Joe Biden. Fletcher has also benefited from heavy spending on his behalf by the San Diego County Democratic Party.
Dumanis has the support of San Diego Mayor Kevin Faulconer and current District 4 Supervisor Ron Roberts, who is termed out. Dumanis has painted herself as a maverick who has been progressive on criminal justice issues, and touted her election as the first openly gay district attorney in the country.
RELATED: Fletcher v. Dumanis, A Prelude To The Partisan Battle For San Diego County
District 4 stretches from southeastern San Diego to La Jolla and includes most of the city's urban core. The demographics of the district have changed significantly since Roberts was first elected there in 1992, with Democrats now outnumbering Republicans by more than two-to-one.
County supervisors oversee a multi-billion dollar budget that funds social welfare programs such as foster care, food stamps and MediCal. They also have land use authority in the unincorporated county.
Fletcher got the most votes in the June primary, winning 29 percent to Dumanis' 26 percent. That was despite a number of attack ads from a union-funded super PAC targeting Fletcher for his voting record while a Republican in the Assembly. Fletcher became an independent during his bid for mayor in 2012, then registered as a Democrat in his second shot at the office in 2013. He has explained his shifting party status as a result of the Republican Party's drift toward the right and a genuine change of his personal convictions.
RELATED: District 4 Supervisor Candidates Fletcher, Dumanis On The Issues
Dumanis' campaign and the San Diego County Republican Party echoed the attacks during the primary based on Fletcher's political history. Dumanis focused on her professional and life experience as a former judge and prosecutor but rarely spoke of her Republican party affiliation, while Fletcher's campaign materials have clearly branded him a Democrat — and a part of the resistance to President Donald Trump's agenda.
Democrats have embraced Fletcher as their best chance at winning back a seat on the Board of Supervisors since Dave Roberts lost his re-election bid in 2016 and the board returned to all-Republican control.
