Ammar Campa-Najjar with supporters. Campaign photo
Ammar Campa-Najjar said Wednesday he is confident he will make the runoff in November for Mayor of Chula Vista despite thousands of votes remaining to the counted.
“While there are still more votes to be counted, I feel confident we’ll maintain our lead and move on to the general as the Democratic nominee for Chula Vista Mayor — and I vow to be a mayor for every Chula Vistan, regardless of their party, politics, or purpose,” said Campa-Najjar, a former Obama administration official.
With about 66% of San Diego County ballots counted, City Councilmember John McCann leads in the race with 8,696 votes, or 31%, followed by Campa-Najjar with 6,069 votes, or 22%, and Councilmember Jill Galvez with 5,609 votes, or 20%.
The Registrar of Voters estimates 250,000 votes remain to be counted, of which as many as 20,000 could be from Chula Vista voters, based on population ratios. But there are three other candidates in the race, who will divide the remaining votes.
“I want to thank Jill Galvez, Zaneta Encarnacion, Spencer Cash, and Rudy Ramirez for running, for sharing their love for our community, and for pushing me to be a better candidate and eventually a better mayor,” said Campa-Najjar. “Chula Vista is a better city because of their work, their passion, and their service.
Campa-Najjar achieved national visibility in unsuccessful Congressional races against former Rep. Duncan Hunter in 2018 and Rep. Darrell Issa in 2020.
If elected Mayor of Chula Vista in November, he would be the first Latino-Arab American to hold elective office in the United States.