Inside Elections

With the filing deadline now passed (it was 5 p.m. on Friday), we now have a solid idea of who will be on the ballot come June 3. See the full list of who filed in San Mateo County.

Most important to note is that the extension period does not apply to any races for this Statewide Direct Primary. In all races where the incumbent was eligible to run, he or she filed for another run at the Elections Office, closing the filing period for good. (In cases where an eligible incumbent does not file, the filing period is extended for three days to encourage more first-time office seekers.)

So, some highlights for you:

Four of the five Democratic County Central Committee districts will have contested elections. The second and fifth districts each have nine candidates vying for four seats! One Republican County Central Committee election, for the third district, is also contested.

The 12th Congressional District race for the 2009-11 term is also chock full o’ candidates. Following the death of U.S. Rep. Tom Lantos, who held the seat since 1981, the field is wide open. Between San Mateo and San Francisco counties, it appears that nine candidates have filed to run for the seat. It will be up to the Secretary of State to provide a final certified list of candidates.

Another big race for San Mateo County is the 19th Assembly District. Gene Mullin is termed out, leaving the seat wide open, and six citizens have responded to the call.

Incumbents whose districts also encompass parts of San Mateo County appearing on the ballot again will be U.S. Rep. Anna Eshoo, state Assemblyman Ira Ruskin, state Assemblywoman Fiona Ma, and state Sen. Joe Simitian. Some of these districts straddle counties, so the candidates may not have filed in San Mateo. Check out the candidate rosters from Santa Clara and San Francisco counties to fill in the holes.

All of them face challengers. The terms of three members of the San Mateo County Board of Supervisors are also up for election, with two of the three facing challengers.

There will be no election for most of the Superior Court judge offices, with the lone exception being Office 7. Two candidates are vying for the seat due to the impending retirement of Judge John Runde, who has been on the bench since 1987.

Locally, there will also be an election to fill a vacancy for an unexpired term on the Atherton City Council. We’re also expecting about four local measures, but Wednesday is the deadline to amend or withdraw them, so we’re keeping mum until then.

Also worth mentioning: Don’t forget that there will be state propositions on the June ballot too. Propositions 98 and 99, both of which deal with eminent domain, have qualified.

We’ll also remind you again that part of what we’ve provided here is technically not official yet. All state and federal legislative candidate filings have to be approved by the Secretary of State, and she has until March 27 to do so. So no ballot printing until then!