Imperial County releases primary election results

IMPERIAL COUNTY, Calif. (KYMA) - Imperial Valley has now certified the results of the June primary election with all ballots counted.

Imperial County Chief Public Defender Ben Salorio will be stepping down from the public defender's office and into the judge's chambers after winning the race for Imperial County Judge.

In the race for Congress, Rep. Raul Ruiz (D-Calif.) is heading to the general election after taking the top spot. He will be running against Republican candidate Joe Males.

Imperial Irrigation District 1 incumbent Alex Cardenas held on to his seat, as did Division 5 Karin Eugenio.

"You know, This is our third term, we're super excited about doing four more years at Imperial Irrigation District. Our voters spoke loud and clear," Cardenas said in an interview with KYMA. "They're looking for reliability, affordability, and they're looking for us to maintain our Colorado River rights, protect our Colorado River rights."

For many candidates, like Cardenas, the hard work and fun times are just beginning.

"We're going to celebrate with our community. So, we have some events, outreach events planned. We don't stop campaigning. We keep campaigning as long as we're putting the community first," Cardenas explained.

In the District 1 Imperial County Board of Supervisors race, Enrique "Kiki" Alvarado narrowly missed winning outright with 49% of the vote. He will advance to November and face Supervisor Jesus Escobar.

Imperial Mayor Ida Obeso-Martinez will go head-to-head with Jeff Gonzalez to lead California's 36th Assembly District.

In a statement to KYMA, Obeso-Martinez wrote, "This campaign is about fighting for quality healthcare, protecting our water, creating good-paying jobs, and ensuring our region has a strong voice in Sacramento."