A California candidate has won election to a county supervisor seat more than two months after his death.
Bruce Giudici, 68, died unexpectedly in late August while canvassing for the Calaveras County District 5 supervisor race, his campaign team said on social media.
Despite his death, Giudici is expected to be certified as the winner on December 3. He holds a lead of several hundred votes over incumbent Clyde Clapp, with only a small number of ballots still awaiting counting.
Although campaigns typically end when a candidate dies, Giudici’s team decided to continue promoting his platform, believing his message remained important, Team Giudici treasurer Roberta ‘Ro’ Corso told the Los Angeles Times.
‘We realized that the time to remove his name had already passed, and we decided to move forward with Bruce,’ Corso said.
The result marks a turnaround for Giudici, who had lost to Clapp in the same contest about a decade ago.
‘Bruce was a really honorable man and he had high morals. He deeply cared about Calaveras County and District 5. He’s the best person for the job,’ Corso said.
Giudici, however, will not be able to serve. Incoming Governor Xavier Becerra is expected to appoint an interim successor to the seat.
Bruce Giudici, 68, died unexpectedly in late August while canvassing for Calaveras County’s District 5 supervisor race, his campaign team said on social media. Despite his death, Giudici is expected to be certified as the winner on December 3
Giudici leads incumbent Clyde Clapp (pictured) with only a few hundred ballots left to be counted
His campaign staff is now reviewing potential candidates to recommend to the governor for the temporary appointment.
‘We want someone who will care for District 5 the way Bruce did. This is his win after all.’
Giudici was canvassing with two campaign volunteers on August 30 when he decided to walk up a steep driveway in a rural part of Valley Springs, a spokesperson told SFGate.
About 10 minutes later, the volunteers went to check on him and found that he had fallen. Emergency responders were already on their way.
The resident whose home Giudici was visiting called 911 after the candidate fell and struck his head, according to the spokesperson.
Giudici was taken to a hospital but later died from his injuries after suffering a ‘massive’ brain bleed.
‘Bruce was a man who cared deeply about Calaveras County and believed District 5 deserved honest, ethical, accountable leadership,’ his campaign team said in a statement.
District 5 includes Milton, Jenny Lind, Rancho Calaveras and Salt Spring Valley.
Giudici prevailed after previously losing to Clapp in the same race roughly a decade earlier
Incoming Governor Xavier Becerra will appoint an interim successor
Giudici secured the seat’s primary victory in June, setting up a November general-election showdown with Clapp.
He led the primary field with 1,061 votes, edging Clapp by 38. Incumbent Supervisor Benjamin Stopper received 792 votes.
Clapp told local NBC affiliate KCRA that he and Giudici had faced each other three times and maintained cordial campaigns throughout.
He described Giudici’s death as ‘tragic’ and said he would keep the candidate’s family in his prayers.
Giudici had lived in Valley Springs for 36 years. He was a husband and the father of daughters.
On his campaign website, he described himself as a fiscal conservative whose career involved auditing complex budgets.
‘Our county needs responsible leadership committed to cutting waste and putting the people first. This campaign is about showing up, listening, and doing the work the right way,’ Giudici wrote.
He also argued that Clapp, who had previously held the position, ‘had his chance to make meaningful change for District 5 eight years ago and failed.’
Giudici’s platform included increased public-safety funding, stronger wildfire preparedness, revised water rates, road repairs, vocational courses for high school students and protections for agricultural open space.
Before entering politics, Giudici served as chief financial officer of the Amador Tuolumne Community Action Agency, an organization focused on meeting families’ basic needs and strengthening economic security.