Bruce Gibson leads race for SLO County District 2 supervisor
Bruce Gibson still led the race to represent District 2 on the San Luis Obispo County Board of Supervisors, according to final election night results released at 1 a.m.
“We’re happy with what we see so far,” Gibson said earlier in the night. He said he thinks voters were “sending a very strong message that they want a competent and strong county government.”
The incumbent Gibson is running for his fifth term on the board, facing three challengers: business owner Geoff Auslen, business owner and U.S. Marines veteran John Whitworth and retired orthopedic surgeon Bruce Jones.
Gibson led with 52.98% of the vote, according to the 1 a.m. ballot-count report.
Gibson said he thinks he’s doing well in the election because he “reached out to voters and talked to them about the things they care about.”
Residents from all corners of District 2 have similar priorities, Gibson said, like homelessness, water supply and support for families.
“There’s a real sense of common purpose in this county,” Gibson said. “We understand that and look forward to continuing to serve.”
Jones and Auslen are still neck and neck, with Jones at 16.8% of the vote and Auslen with 16.7% of the vote.
Whitworth trailed with 13.5% of the vote.
Auslen said he expects to beat Jones in the primary election, and “be in a runoff with Gibson come November.”
He said he believes his campaign resonated with voters because his “honesty and integrity definitely struck home with them.”
Jones said “it’s a little too soon to tell,” if he or Auslen will make it to the general election.
“Time will tell,” Jones said. “We’ll see what the tallies are over the next couple of days.”
The top-two candidates advance to the general election in November, unless one candidate secures at least 50% of the vote.
Gibson noted that he expected the District 2 race to carry over into the general election.
“Our expectation was never that we’d have the final final tonight,” Gibson said.
The candidates are running in the new District 2, which includes Cayucos and Cambria on the coast and also Atascadero and San Miguel in the North County.
The vote tallies are subject to change over the coming days as the San Luis Obispo County Clerk-Recorder’s Office processes more last-minute and provisional ballots.
Final election results could take up until early July to be certified.
This story was originally published June 7, 2022 at 8:21 PM.
