Democrat Ken Cooley leading GOP’s Josh Hoover in Sacramento-area Assembly race
Democratic Assemblyman Ken Cooley maintained a slender lead Wednesday over Republican Josh Hoover in the race to represent Sacramento’s eastern suburbs in the state Assembly.
Early unofficial results show incumbent Cooley with 50.3% of the vote and Hoover, chief of staff to Rocklin Assemblyman Kevin Kiley, with 49.7% as of midnight, according to the Sacramento County Registrar of Voters Office.
Only 343 votes separated Cooley and Hoover early Wednesday. The Associated Press estimated 25% of votes have been counted.
Cooley has represented Assembly District 7, which includes Rancho Cordova, Folsom and Citrus Heights, since 2012. The California Democratic Party has spent heavily to prevent Hoover from flipping the seat red.
The party has pumped more than $1.7 million into Cooley’s campaign since March to help stave off Hoover’s challenge, according to campaign finance data from the Secretary of State’s Office.
Cooley has run on accomplishments that include working with Assemblyman Kevin McCarty, D-Sacramento, to secure $25 million in state funding to address homelessness on the American River Parkway.
The Democrat’s campaign has excoriated Hoover for his connections to far-right figures, including Kiley, who is running for Congress and received former President Donald Trump’s endorsement. Cooley’s campaign has also contrasted the Assemblyman’s pro-abortion rights stance with Hoover’s anti-abortion views.
Hoover, a Folsom Cordova Unified School District board member, has linked Cooley to perceived Democratic policy failures, including high gas prices, homelessness and COVID-19 school closures.
He also condemned Cooley for running negative video and print ads against the Assembly candidacy of a Proud Boys member during the June primary. Critics alleged that the spots were designed to boost the member’s name recognition and lift a less competitive opponent onto the general election ballot.
This story was originally published November 8, 2022 at 8:42 PM.
CORRECTION: This story has been updated to correct the name of the Sacramento County office that reports vote counts. The county Registrar of Voters Office manages all election-related activities.