Senate 7th District: Glazer defeats Bonilla

Orinda Mayor Steve Glazer easily defeated Concord Assemblywoman Susan Bonilla Tuesday night in a costly, bitter Democratic shootout in the 7th Senate District.

With 99 percent  of 645 precincts reporting in the East Bay district, Glazer had 54.6 percent of the votes to Bonilla’s 45.4 percent in the special election contest to replace Mark DeSaulnier, who left the seat to go to Congress.

Glazer maintained his comfortable lead throughout the evening, defying the predictions of some political observers who had said the race was too close to call.

The district straddles two counties. Alameda County precincts reported a 17-point lead for Glazer; Contra Costa County precincts gave Glazer about an 8-point margin.

Through Tuesday, some $10.2 million was raised for or against the two contenders, with about $4 of every $5 spent by independent expenditure committees, most of it from labor- or business-backed PACs, according to the secretary of state’s office.

The candidates’ campaigns received about $2 million in direct contributions.
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Eds’ Note: Updates with 99 percent of the precincts reporting. To see our earlier feature on this race, click here.