Ortiz-Legg, Cunningham will face off for Assembly

Democrat Dawn Ortiz-Legg will face off against Republican Jordan Cunningham in the race to succeed termed-out Republican Assemblyman Katcho Achadjian.

Ortiz-Legg received 44.9 percent of the vote, followed by Cunningham’s 37.3 percent in the battle for the 35th District Assembly seat, according to unofficial results from the California Secretary of State.

Trailing the frontrunners were Republican Steve LeBard with 14.8 percent and Libertarian Dominic Rubini with 3 percent.

In the open primary, the top two vote-getters move on to the Nov. 8 general election. Cunningham and Ortiz-Legg, both political newcomers from San Luis Obispo County who have campaigned extensively and gained numerous endorsements, were expected to easily secure the necessary votes to advance to the fall campaign.

The district encompasses all of San Luis Obispo County and a portion of western Santa Barbara County.

Cunningham, 38, is an attorney and a member of the Templeton Unified School District Board of Trustees; Ortiz-Legg, 56, is a public affairs and construction liaison with First Solar and NRG Energy; LeBard, 65, owns LeBard’s Computer Center in Santa Maria; and Rubini, 27, is a farmer in Shandon.

This story was originally published June 7, 2016 at 8:27 PM with the headline "Ortiz-Legg, Cunningham will face off for Assembly."