It’s official: Bruce McPherson and Eric Hammer are heading to a runoff election in November.
Votes from the June 5 primary were fully counted by July 3, leading to the runoff in the 5th District supervisorial race.
McPherson, the former California Secretary of State, led the four-candidate field but was unable to garner the 50 percent-plus-one vote majority needed to win outright. He received 49.33 percent of the 14,268 votes cast.
Hammer, a Boulder Creek resident and building contractor, was second with 37.95 percent of the votes, followed by Lompico resident Bill Smallman, who had 6.48 percent. Susan Weber, whose name remained on the ballot even though she withdrew from the race in March, tallied 5.63 percent.
“Anybody will tell you they would have loved to get a majority in June,” McPherson said. “But I’m used to this — having a primary and runoff is nothing new to me.”
McPherson acknowledged that while would have preferred to avoid a runoff, he was positive that he had the support to win in the general election. He said he received endorsements from both Weber and Smallman.
“It’s just going to be a more pointed campaign when it’s one on one,” he said. “When four people are on the ballot and someone who’s dropped out gets more than 5 percent (of the vote), it’s hard to get a majority.”
Hammer said he was looking forward to November. He said strong community support and his connection to the area helped him force a runoff with McPherson.
“With the amount of money that (McPherson) made and the name recognition that he had, it tells a lot about who I am,” Hammer said. “I’m raising a family in this community — that’s who I am.”
Hammer expressed confidence that the greater voter turnout expected for the general election, combined with his message, would propel him to a win in the runoff.
“I feel like I have a fantastic chance to win in November,” he said.
