Natalie Rubalcava, a lifelong resident of District 3 and chief operating officer of the Orange County Business Council, is leading Anaheim Union High School District Trustee Al Jabbar in the race to represent the open District 3 seat on the Anaheim City Council.
Rubalcava, a centrist Democrat, was leading Jabbar by 582 votes when the first returns were reported around 8:00 p.m. last night. By the last update at midnight, her lead had grown to 1,086 votes.
Rubalcava is beating Jabbar by a wide margin among early voters, and is capturing two-thirds of ballots cast at vote centers (basically, in person voters).
While not conceding the race, Jabbar acknowledge his vote deficit in a Facebook post earlier today:
Jabbar is a left-wing Democrat and close political ally of Councilman Jose F. Moreno, who is being forced out of the District 3 seat by term limits. As an AUHSD school board member, Jabbar has been a strong ally of the teachers union, an opponent of charter schools and a supporter of incorporation CRT-related ideology into district curriculum.
Rubalcava is beating Jabbar in all but one precinct in District 3:
Rubalcava’s candidacy was supported by Anaheim businesses, several labor unions, the Anaheim Police Association and Anaheim Firefighters Association, and the Anaheim Neighborhood Association. She raised $112,140, and a number of independent expenditure committees – funded by business interest, the police and fire unions, housing providers and weighed in on her behalf to the tune of nearly half a million dollars.
Al Jabbar was supported by Councilman Moreno, his AUSHD and Anaheim Elementary School District board members, local teachers unions, the city employees union, the Democratic Party of Orange County and mayoral candidate Ashleigh Aitken. Jabbar raised $75,276 and was supported by approximately $44,000 in union independent expenditures.
Both candidates mounted vigorous ground campaigns.
