Stockton mayor candidate Christina Fugazi arrived to her election watch party at about 7:30 p.m. Tuesday. Supporters erupted into applause as she entered the Binge Vietnamese Fusion restaurant in north Stockton.
“This is my biggest strength,” she later said, pointing to her supporters.
The former Stockton council member led opponent Tom Patti, District 3’s county supervisor, in the race for mayor, unofficial results showed Wednesday.
This election season, Stockton voters faced a choice between two seasoned but very different mayoral candidates.
San Joaquin County election officials published first unofficial results in the race between businessman Tom Patti and assistant principal Christina Fugazi and all other races around 8 p.m. Tuesday.
Patti told Stocktonia that he was feeling “absolute fine” with the initial vote count rolling in at about 8 p.m. Tuesday night showing Fugazi in the lead.
“I’ve seen races in the past where I’ve come (from) behind,” Patti said.
Initial results include some mail ballots and all early voting ballots. Officials plan to update the results every two hours until they’ve counted every in-person ballot cast Nov. 5, according to their schedule.
Both Patti and Fugazi would bring roughly eight years of elected experience to the mayor’s seat, Patti in his current role on the San Joaquin County Board of Supervisors and Fugazi on the Stockton City Council, where she rose to become vice mayor.
But while Patti has highlighted his business background and focus on public-private partnership on the campaign trail, Fugazi has focused on her education career.
Whoever wins will be central in shaping an overhauled council, to include three new members plus the new mayor next year.
While awaiting first results in her race, Fugazi had her eye on the presidential race too.
“I am riding that blue wave,” she said. “And I think it’s the year of the woman.”
After election night, the registrar plans to update results on Nov. 8, then on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays until all votes are counted.