San Jose special election could see recount as one vote separates candidates vying for runoff

Days after Tuesday’s special election, the San Jose District 3 City Council race has become a showdown for second-place and with the margins razor thin, a recount is likely to determine the candidate who will face Gabby Chavez-Lopez in a June runoff.

Chavez-Lopez, the executive director of the Latina Coalition of Silicon Valley, continues to garner about 30% of the vote, outpacing the seven-person field vying to replace disgraced former Councilmember Omar Torres, who pleaded no contest this week to sexual abuse charges involving a minor, adding an element of closure to the scandal that brought months of turmoil to the dais.

“We’re full steam ahead going into the runoff,” Chavez-Lopez said Friday. “What we’ve been doing – and the message we’ve been sharing – is clearly resonating with voters, so we’re focused on continuing that momentum.”

But the distance between Matthew Quevedo, San Jose Mayor Matt Mahan’s deputy chief of staff, and darkhorse candidate Anthony Tordillos to join a runoff remains one vote, with their place in the pecking order flipping multiple times already and giving true meaning to the old saying, “every vote counts.”





https://www.mercurynews.com/2025/04/12/san-jose-special-election-could-see-recount-as-one-vote-separates-candidates-vying-for-runoff/