Six California Libertarian candidates advance to November election

Brandon Nelson portrait, wearing burgundy shirt with open collar, clean-shaven, dark hair, standing outdoors in front of plants (color photo)

Brandon Nelson, the 2018 Libertarian candidate for California State Assembly, District 4

Several Libertarian Party candidates for California’s state assembly, of whom all but one appeared as write-ins, have secured top-two status in the June 5 primary election, granting many Californians the now-rare choice of voting for a state-level Libertarian candidate in the so-called general election being held on November 6.

On July 16, the secretary of state certified that Brandon Nelson, running in the fourth district for the state assembly, had received 132 write-in votes, beating a Republican challenger, Cherylyn Nutting, by two votes, and the Green Party’s write-in candidate, Sara Joan Fulton, by four.

As a result, Nelson will appear on the November election run-off ballot, along with four other Libertarian assembly candidates:

  • Justin Quigley, State Assembly District 21
  • Chris Stare, State Assembly District 51
  • Autumn Browne, State Assembly District 69
  • Honor “Mimi” Robson, State Assembly District 70

“It is with great pleasure that I can finally announce that I placed second…and made it into the general election!” posted Nelson on his campaign Facebook page. “…I placed second by a margin of two votes, so I really do mean it when I say…that every vote really does count. …I will do my best to be worthy of your continued trust and support….”

A sixth Libertarian candidate, Calimesa Mayor Jeff Hewitt, placed a close second in his nonpartisan race for Riverside County Board of Supervisors, District 5, advancing him to that county’s run-off election.


Click here to read the June 7 press release on the performance of the California Libertarians in the 2018 primary election.

Click here for a list of 2018 Libertarian candidates nationwide.

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