Nicole Crosby is “cautiously optimistic,” she told the Rag this morning, the day after her apparent victory over former Republican Richard Bailey for the District 2 city council seat. Currently, she leads Bailey by 9 percentage points and by a little over 3,000 votes. Ballot counting continues.
Crosby leads Bailey 54.5% to 45.6%, with 18,188 votes to 15,218.
Crosby spoke to me this morning when I called to congratulate her. She sounded happy but exhausted.Yet she felt the numbers would hold. She also told me that Bailey had yet to call her to concede or congratulate her.
Crosby:
“This race has always been about fighting for my neighbors in District 2. From the parents and teachers at my daughter’s school, to the librarians, emergency service workers and skilled trades workers in our community, we did this together. Working families are the backbone of San Diego and we deserve results from City Hall.
Our next chapter will focus on getting back to basics: fixing streets and streetlights, working to improve affordability so seniors can stay in their homes and families can raise their children in the neighborhoods they grew up in. We will make sure our tax dollars are invested in our communities. I look forward to showing up for the residents in District 2. Thank you.”
Earlier, she told the U-T just after the initial results were posted, that she was pleased to be ahead in a tough race.:
“The numbers look pretty good. We put in a lot of work in a race where a lot of money was spent against us. … San Diegans are looking for a positive tomorrow.”
Crosby has vowed to focus on the basics like fixing sidewalks and streetlights.
The District 2 race was one of the most closely watched — and most expensive — races in the county. Crosby said her connection to the community is what matters.
“Whether it’s the PTA or the town council or the regular seniors that are at the coffee shop or the library,” Crosby said Tuesday night. “It’s really getting back to basics and not pushing them aside. It’s about showing up and being the voice for them and making sure that they know we’re in this fight together.”
If her win holds, she will potentially be the third new face on the city council, if Martha Abraham holds her advantage over Henry Foster, along with the apparent winner in District 8, Antonio Martinez. Crosby, of course a Democrat, will continue the party’s dominance on the chief deliberative body for the city of San Diego. Crosby is also a former deputy city attorney, like councilmembers Raul Campillo and Marni von Wilpert — who just won her battle with Jim Desmond for the 48th US Congressional District.
Crosby’s victory also means that District 2 will remain in the Democratic Party fold, despite the failings of her Democratic predecessor Jen Campbell and the Republican Lori Zapf before her. The UT’s David Garrick reported:
The battle between Bailey and Crosby has focused on slashing city jobs, taking money from developers, carpetbagging and whether there’s a need for contrarian voices at San Diego City Hall [plus for some reason rebuilding the OB Pier has also been an issue between them].
The race has attracted an unusually large amount of campaign cash. Independent expenditure committees supporting either Bailey or Crosby spent more than $750,000 this fall.
For the record, the Rag had endorsed Crosby, whereas the Union-Tribune and La Prensa had endorsed Bailey.
I would like to know how many more votes need to be counted.
When you figure it out, please let us know.
Congratulations to Nicole. Like probably every other person reading this, I’m just hoping Nicole Crosby isn’t another Jenn Campbell.