As the results for the Supervisor District 4 race came in on Tuesday, June 5th, San Jose Councilmember Don Rocha, endorsed by the South Bay Labor Council, was more than a percentage point, about 200 votes, behind Pierluigi Oliverio, leaving the two candidates uncertain about who would face Susan Ellenberg in the November runoff.
In the early days of counting, the margin between Rocha and Oliverio continued to widen, giving Oliverio the advantage throughout the week.
Yet, the tide began to turn on Friday morning as each update favored Rocha, closing the gap between him and Oliverio, and then giving him the lead on Saturday morning. Saturday evening’s update produced a Rocha surge, with the count jumping from a 35 vote lead over Oliverio to a 276 vote lead. By Sunday, Rocha was up 398 votes and Monday brought another Rocha swell, placing him 551 votes ahead of Oliverio. The trend has continued, and as of today’s final update, Rocha has surpassed Olivero by nearly 700 votes.
With 96% of the ballots counted, it is virtually impossible for Oliverio to get the votes needed to secure a spot in the General Election.
As in other recent elections, the late returns have favored progressive labor-backed candidates. This race is no exception. An important factor that leads to this is the South Bay Labor Council’s grassroots field campaign, a targeted program that educates voters, identifies supporters and turns out thousands of them to vote.
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