Free Republic

Republican Beth Gaines has won the election to fill her husband's former Assembly seat. Gaines was ahead of Roseville Democrat Dennis Campanale in Tuesday's runoff election for the 4th Assembly District, leading 55 percent to 45 percent, with 90 percent of precincts reporting. The two emerged as the top vote-getters in an eight-way March primary election triggered by the January election of her husband, Ted Gaines, to an overlapping state Senate seat. While Gaines edged out her closest GOP rival by just one percentage point in the primary, she was considered the clear front-runner in this round of balloting. Campanale,...

Republican Beth Gaines edged GOP rival John Allard on Tuesday to make the runoff against Democrat Dennis Campanale in the crowded race for the 4th Assembly District. Campanale, the lone Democrat in an eight-candidate field, took the top spot with 31.8 percent of the vote. Gaines edged Allard by 667 votes -- 22.5 percent to 21.5 percent . . .

Assembly seat at stake under 'top-two' rulesToday could be the day California's new "top-two" primary system really gets its first test.Voters in the 4th Assembly District – covering Alpine County and parts of Placer, El Dorado and Sacramento counties – head to the polls in a special election to replace Republican Ted Gaines, who advanced to the Senate in January. Eight candidates, seven of them Republican, are on the ballot. The district is heavily Republican. Under the new rules, the top two finishers – regardless of party affiliation – will advance to a runoff unless one candidate wins a majority...