As Breitbart News predicted, Democrats Ben Allen and Sandra Fluke have made it to the top two in California’s newly-adopted “jungle” primary system and will advance to November in one of the most interesting races to date. Both candidates are vying for Senator Ted Lieu’s 26th District State Senate seat.
Allen was the clear winner in first place, finishing at almost 22%, with Fluke a close second at almost 20%. Over a microphone, Allen thanked all who gathered to celebrate at a Santa Monica restaurant, as a screen projected live primary results.
Friends and supporters from every stage of Allen’s life, from elementary school to high school to his Harvard days, were in attendance. Yet even with his win, Allen’s modesty shined through. He said, “This is extraordinary for me. I’m really humbled by these results.”
The two candidates traveled vastly different paths to make it to the top.
Allen, a Harvard grad and Berkeley lawyer, has a strong track record full of local experience. In addition to being a practicing lawyer and lecturer, he is president of the Santa Monica-Malibu Unified School District Board of Education and focuses on education and jobs.
Allen has received the endorsement of Democratic interest groups and prominent locals, and even has the backing of Republican-turned-Independent Bill Bloomfield, who supports more moderate political candidates. Bloomfield invested nearly $200,000 of his own money in Allen’s campaign, a lot of which was used to fund mailers on his behalf.
Fluke graduated from Georgetown Law and emphasizes her role as a symbol for women’s rights. She moved to California fairly recently and has, throughout the election, rode on the laurels of her brief media fame after being called a “slut” by radio talk show host Rush Limbaugh-whose tongue was lodged in his cheek at the time. Fluke had appeared before Congress to demand that already-inexpensive birth control be free for female students at Georgetown. As a result, she garnered support from more national players.
But independent expenditures and local party endorsements are a big indicator and could be the factors which set these two candidates apart in determining who the winner will be come November.