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MODESTO -- Democrat Dennis Cardoza inched to an early lead over Republican Dick Monteith Tuesday night in the battle to succeed Rep. Gary Condit whose political career crashed amid his relationship with slain intern Chandra Levy. Updated Nov. 5, 11:00 pm
Though not on the ballot, Condit was much on the mind of voters in the San Joaquin Valley district, however. Arvil Presson, 78, Ceres said he voted for Condit as a write-in candidate for governor. "The media just killed that family," Presson said. "They're vultures."
Cardoza, 43, is a third-term state assemblyman and former Condit aide, who beat out his former mentor in the well-publicized Democratic primary earlier this year. He ran with the support of organized labor.
Monteith, 70, a second-term state senator and retired tractor salesman, was endorsed by the building industry, chambers of commerce and the National Rifle Association.
District 18, considered one of the most socially conservative regions in the state, is also one of poorest with an unemployment rate of about 9.3 percent, substantially higher than the state average of 6.1 percent. Rural and agricultural, the district includes portions of San Joaquin, Merced, Stanislaus, Madera and Fresno counties.
Although 51 percent of the area's registered voters identify as Democrats, compared to 39 percent who are Republicans, valley voters have a history of voting conservatively. In the 2000 presidential elections, the district favored Bush, and in the 1996 presidential elections, it narrowly favored Clinton over Dole by 1 percentage point.
Independent pollsters had predicted a close race, with a Los Angeles Times poll indicating a win for Cardoza at 36 percent of the vote over 34 percent for Monteith. It was the first competitive congressional race the area has seen in years, after 12 years of conservative Condit, who ran virtually unopposed in the last election.
Nationally, Democrats and Republicans closely watched the race. The Modesto Bee estimated that more than a third of large contributions to the race had come from out-of-state sources. In addition, both first-time congressional candidates hosted numerous nationally recognized party figures such as Vice President Dick Cheney and Senator Joseph Lieberman D-Conn, who visited the area to stump for their candidates.
With the scandal-plagued Condit serving his last few months in Congress, Democratic strategists were concerned that his reputed affair with murdered Washington intern Levy, would taint voter perceptions of the party. Monteith, who has said Cardoza's agenda is more suited to liberals in San Francisco or Los Angeles than the valley community, centered his campaign on the differences between his position on traditional values and Cardoza's, highlighting Cardoza's support for same-sex marriage and extension of spousal benefits to domestic partners.