Former San Diego Mayor Kevin Faulconer, who for much of his career was one of the California GOP’s few rising stars until he took part in the disastrous 2021 recall effort against Gov. Gavin Newsom, announced Tuesday that he’d mount a comeback next year by running to flip a pivotal seat on the San Diego County Board of Supervisors.
Faulconer will take on Democratic incumbent Terra Lawson-Remer, whose 2020 win gave her party its first majority on the Board in over 30 years, and once again, the race will likely determine control of the county government. Lawson-Remer’s 3rd District backed Joe Biden 63-34 and supported Newsom 59-41 last year, but Republicans are hoping that Faulconer’s profile will give him an opening in what is an officially nonpartisan contest. The first round of voting will take place March 5, which is the same day as California’s presidential primary, and the two contenders with the most votes will advance to the November general election.