A Northern California candidate for county supervisor is leading his race despite dying two months before Election Day.
Bruce Giudici currently holds a lead over Clyde Clapp in the contest for Calaveras County’s District 5 Board of Supervisors seat, according to the latest results.
Giudici has received 1,982 votes, or 57%, compared with Clapp’s 1,496 votes, or 43%.
County officials still have 322 ballots to count, while another 340 remain “left to cure.” Those ballots either were missing a signature or contained a signature that did not match county records, KCRA reported. It remains unclear whether any of the outstanding ballots came from District 5.
Giudici was campaigning for the seat when he fell on a steep driveway on Aug. 31, according to a statement posted on his campaign website.
“Bruce recently passed away unexpectedly after succumbing to injuries sustained from a fall while campaigning door-to-door,” the message stated.
“Bruce was on a mission to bring real leadership to District 5, ensuring your hard-earned tax dollars are not wasted.
“Bruce was beloved by many. His passing has been met with an overwhelming outpouring of sympathy for the loss to his family, community, co-workers and organizations he supported through tireless dedication over the years.”
If Giudici wins the election, California’s governor-elect, Xavier Becerra, will select a replacement to temporarily fill the seat, according to the campaign.
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“If Bruce is elected, when the current Supervisor’s term ends in January, the vacancy will be temporarily filled by appointment of an interim Supervisor by the newly elected Governor (NOT Gavin Newsom) to serve until an election can be held to elect a new Supervisor,” a message on his website said.
Carrie Biggs-Adams, a campaign volunteer, said continuing the campaign had been a “very complicated decision” and an emotional one.
Ultimately, she said, volunteers decided they wanted to “finish his mission.”
“We just really appreciate the people who trusted us that a good person would come forward and be a better alternative as their District 5 supervisor,” Biggs-Adams told KCRA.
“And we appreciate their support and their trust and now will help make sure somebody good is selected.”
Posts on the campaign’s social media accounts are filled with messages from supporters urging others to vote for Giudici despite his death.
“I feel it’s important to follow Bruce’s mission to have an ethical and qualified representative for District 5, that’s why I’m voting for Bruce Giudici,” one supporter wrote.
The California Post contacted Clapp’s campaign for comment.
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