Updated at 2:40 a.m. Wednesday
Brian Maienschein branded himself the heavy favorite for the 77th Assembly District seat after defeating closest rival Ruben Hernandez by 23 percentage points Tuesday to set up a showdown in November.
With all precincts reporting, Republican Maienschein led Democrat Hernandez 47.5 percent to 24.5 percent—a difference of 15,761 votes in the open primary.
Dustin Steiner and Greg Laskaris took third and fourth, respectively.
The race featured two Republicans, a Democrat and one with no party preference. The two candidates with the most votes in the open primary election—regardless of party affiliation—will advance to a face off in the November election.
The 77th Assembly District includes Rancho Bernardo and Poway.
