James Gallagher to be sworn into Congress on Thursday

CHICO - California District 1 Congressman-Elect James Gallagher (R-Yuba City) officially resigned from the state assembly Tuesday, and will be sworn into Congress at around 3:30 p.m. ET Thursday, according to a representative from Gallagher's office.

Gallagher's resignation from the State Assembly marked the end of his 12-year career in the position. In a letter of resignation, Gallagher said one of his greatest privileges in life was representing California's Third Assembly District and the people of Northern California.

"When I am sworn in to Congress, it will be the first time ever I have been in the majority. I've spend my entire political career in the minority," Gallagher said in the letter. "It's sharpened my skills, it's refined my acumen, it's made me stronger. It's given me an appreciation or ensuring fair treatment of the minority party in a democracy."

In the District 1 special election, between Gallagher, Mike McGuire (D-Healdsburg) and Audrey Denney (D-Chico), Gallagher had a landslide victory, currently standing at 62.1% of the vote, well above the 50% threshold needed to eliminate the need for a general special election runoff vote in August. Denney followed Gallagher at 18.5% with McGuire in third place with 17.3% of the vote.

The Butte County Elections Office showed in an update at 1:57 p.m. Tuesday that Gallagher currently sits 52.88% of the vote in Butte County, while Denney followed up with 25.46% and McGuire rounding it out with 20.8%. The current vote in Butte County tallied has Gallagher with 31,820 votes, Denney with 15,323, and McGuire with 12,516. Denlay said the results of the special election are set to be officially certified Thursday.

In the District 1 primary, also between Gallagher, McGuire and Denney, Gallagher and McGuire are set to move forward to the general election in November. Gallagher and McGuire are currently neck-and-neck, with Gallagher slightly ahead with 43.5% of the vote and McGuire at 41.5%. Denney sits in a distant third place with 13.2% of the vote. Gallagher currently sits at 69,754 votes, McGuire has 66,455, and Denney has 21,143.

In Butte County, the elections office released an update at 3:31 p.m. Tuesday. Gallagher currently leads in the county with 52.86%, followed by Denney at 24.56% and McGuire at 21.59%.

State Assembly

In the election to replace Gallagher, Dom Belza leads the three-way race for the State Assembly District 3 at 46.7% of the vote. Jamie Johansson is in second with 28.8% of the vote, and Andrew Coolidge rounds it out at 24.5%. District 3 covers Butte, Glenn, Placer, Sutter, Tehama and Yuba counties.

In Butte County, the elections office showed in an update released at 3:31 p.m. Tuesday that Belza also leads in the county with 38.16% of the vote. Coolidge is in second place with 32.26%, followed by Johansson with 29.58%.

Board of Supervisors

For Butte County supervisor, Peter Durfee currently leads Marianne Paiva in District 2 with 59.46% of the vote, while Paiva sits at 40.54%. For District 3, Tami Ritter ran unopposed.

In total, 52,062 votes were cast in Butte County. There were 126,995 registered voters in total, meaning there was a 41% voter turnout. For the regular primary election, Butte County Clerk-Recorder Keaton Denlay said the results can't be certified until June 26 due to "state rules."

Governor

In the governor race, the majority of Butte County voted for Republican Steve Hilton, who has 30.89% of the vote. Democrat Tom Steyer follows in second place with 19.18%, while Republic Chad Bianco has 18.56% and Xavier Becerra has 16.82%. Becerra leads statewide with 27.8% of the vote, followed by Hilton at 25%.

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