Jackie Speier elected to Congress

April 9, 2008

Former democratic State Sen. Jackie Speier (whose district included Woodside and Portola Valley) was elected Tuesday to fill the remainder of the term of the late Rep. Tom Lantos in the 12th Congressional district in San Mateo and San Francisco counties.

With all 490 precincts reporting, Ms. Speier had won 78 percent of the vote, according to the California Secretary of State's office. Of the five candidates, the closest contender was Greg Conlon of Atherton, a Republican, who received 9 percent of the vote.

Ms. Speier needed to win only 50 percent plus one vote to avoid a runoff.

The term ends in December, but Ms. Speier is also a candidate for the full two-year term starting in January. The primary for that race is in June and the general election in November. Ms. Speier is considered a shoo-in.

Voter turnout was light, which is common during a special election, said San Mateo County Elections Manager David Tom. Only about 22 percent of registered voters in the district cast ballots.

Rep. Lantos was diagnosed with esophageal cancer in late December, and had announced he would not seek re-election to the U.S. House of Representatives, but had committed to serving the rest of his 14th term through December 2008. Lantos died on Feb. 11 at the age of 80 from complications due to cancer.

Bay City News Service contributed to this report.

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