The California Secretary of State’s release of certified election results on Dec. 16 showed several races from the Nov. 8 election that were decided by a small number of votes.
Roughly 1,400 votes separated incumbent Assemblymember Ken Cooley, D-Rancho Cordova, who lost to challenger Josh Hoover, R-Folsom, in the race for the seat from District 7, which includes the communities of Rancho Cordova, Citrus Heights and Folsom.
Education was just one of the issues contributing to Hoover’s win, said Lance Christensen, Vice President, Education Policy & Government Affairs at the California Policy Center.
“There are a couple of dynamics that are important there," Christensen said. "One is Josh Hoover is a known entity around the capitol, obviously he’s been Kevin Kiley’s chief of staff, and he is very smart when it comes to policy and politics.
"He was also one of the first school board members that got the schools back open in Folsom Cordova Unified after they’d been shut down.”
Hoover showed leadership by advocating on behalf of students’ return to classrooms, Christensen said.
“He was one of a handful of school board trustees across the state that figured it out and got these kids back in classes, and I think the people in his area that were voting recognized that," Christensen said.
Learning loss also was a focal point of Christensen’s campaign to unseat State Superintendent of Public Instruction Tony Thurmond, who failed to win the primary despite millions in union donations.
Meanwhile, the controversial Capitol Annex project likely also cost Cooley. He was chair of the committee overseeing the plan, which carried an estimated billion-dollar price tag and has drawn criticism for its proposed razing of historic trees, among other environmental concerns.
“There’s an undertone of anger at Ken Cooley for pushing forward the new Capitol Annex,” Christensen said. “And I think Josh Hoover was deft in navigating that situation.”
Meanwhile a second recount began last week in the race for the 16th District State Senate seat, in which Melissa Hurtado (D) had only 20 more votes than David Shepard (R).
“How many races did we have in California this year that seemed extremely close?,” Christensen said. “I don’t remember any elections in recent years that were decided by less than two dozen votes.”
California’s five-week ballot counting process wasn’t without criticism this year, Calmatters reported.
Meanwhile, Christensen said he’ll continue meeting with parents across the state to get feedback on what can be done to fix education policy.