Border Activist Faces Republican in Calif. Runoff
Dan Whitcomb, Reuters, Oct. 5
ANAHEIM, California — The Republican favorite for a California congressional seat was forced into a runoff with Jim Gilchrist, founder of a volunteer border patrol group, and three other candidates after failing to capture a majority of the vote.
With all precincts reporting in Tuesday’s special election for the 48th Congressional district, former state Sen. John Campbell had collected 46 percent of the votes cast, followed by fellow Republican and former state Assemblywoman Marilyn Brewer at 16.7 percent.
Gilchrist, who founded the Minuteman movement and is running as an American Independent Party candidate, drew 14.4 percent, followed by Democrat Steve Young with 9 percent. The top vote-getter from each party qualifies for the December runoff, which will also include Libertarian Steve Cohen and Green Party candidate Bea Tiritilli.
“To repeat a quote from the Revolutionary War: I have not yet begun to fight,” Gilchrist said. “I think I can win this. It’s just a matter of informing the public who I am and what I can do.”
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