Even though elected officials like District 30 Assemblymember Dawn Addis and 19th Congressional District Rep. Jimmy Panetta have experienced the ups and downs of the campaign trail on more than one occasion, they still get a little nervous on election day.
“It’s not so much nerves, as it's anticipation for the results at 8pm,” Panetta says. “There’s really not much that you can do except know that if you have done the work, you have done the job.”
Addis says that every Election Day and even when she returns to the California State Capitol from the Central Coast, she gets the jitters.
“I always get butterflies,” Addis says. ”I still get that feeling of awe when I walk into the Capitol and I still get those butterflies knowing that I have an opportunity to represent the people one more time.”
In the race for the 30th, Addis has received 33,224 votes, or 54 percent of the total votes counted as of 9:25pm. Republican candidate Shannon Kessler received 23,130 votes or 38 percent, and Democrat Susannah Brown 5,203 or about 9 percent of the total.
With the early vote counts favoring Addis, she said her celebratory plans include driving to Sacramento early Wednesday morning to participate in budget negotiations as she chairs the Health Budget Subcommittee.
“It will be a celebration if I know I am on my way to do this work for more time,” Addis says.
Assembly Speaker Robert Rivas, who represents the neighboring 29th Assembly District, shows a promising lead with 20,070 votes, or 65 percent of the total count. Republican candidate Dennis P. Sanchez received 5,919 or about 19 percent of the vote. Republic J.W. Paine received 4,733 votes or 15 percent, as of 9:20pm.
Like Addis, Panetta says the way he celebrates a primary election victory is immediately returning to work.
“I will be on a red-eye flight back to D.C. to do my job,” he says.
For the 19th Congressional District race, Panetta leads in the early vote counts with 54,750 votes, or about 65 percent of the total. In the seven-way race, Republican Peter Coe Verbica seems likely to face the incumbent in the general election, with 20,766 votes or 23 percent of the total as of 9:25pm.
In the race for the 18th Congressional District, Rep. Zoe Lofgren shows a promising lead with 27,687 votes or 54 percent of the total in a four-way race, ahead of Republican Shane Lewis with 15,010 or 29 percent of the total vote tally so far.
Lofgren says she no longer gets nervous on Election Day and will be celebrating the primary results by voting yes on the War Powers Act when she returns to Washington, D.C. "I am honored to have your trust to continue fighting in Congress for our communities. Californians are demanding that Washington focus on pocketbook issues, not vanity projects and culture wars,” she said in a statement issued on Tuesday night.
Addis adds that she feels lucky to live in a democracy and represent her constituents during the 250th anniversary of the United States.
“We are some of the luckiest people on the planet because we have a democracy that’s worth fighting for,” says Addis. “And I think that this election and the election in November is going to say a lot about that.”