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City Council member Diane Howard had easily captured 75% of the vote as polls closed Tuesday night in the race for Redwood City district 6.
Her strong lead over Pastor Jerome Madigan had not changed by Wednesday afternoon, where Madigan trailed by nearly 1,000 votes.
“I feel good about this first return, but I will feel better when all the votes are counted,” Howard said on Wednesday afternoon. “I’m not assuming anything.”
Meanwhile, City Council candidate Madigan said he wasn’t conceding to opponent Howard.
“I’m feeling positive and optimistic today. Even more than last night,” Madigan told the Pulse Wednesday afternoon.
“I’m looking at the same scoreboard as everybody else,” he said. “We’re missing a big chunk of ballots. I’m not ready to say anything until we count all the ballots.”
As of 1 a.m, Wednesday morning, Howard had 74.36% versus Madigan's 25.64%.
The county, in an update posted on Wednesday, said that it had "many ballots to count" and that vote-by-mail ballots received after Saturday, Nov. 5, have yet to be counted.
Howard, on Tuesday night, was at an election watch party with district 5 city council candidate Kaia Eakin, who ran unopposed. They crowded into the back room at Donato Enoteca in downtown Redwood City, which was packed with some 60 attendees including former mayor Ian Bain and chair of the planning commission, Rick Hunter.
“I’m feeling wonderful,” Howard said minutes after the first results came out, showing her with a strong lead over Madigan.
“I love serving on city council and am so glad to do it for another four years,” she said, adding that she was happy to have “finally reached the finish line.”
Former council member Janet Borgens said Howard’s experience and historical knowledge would be invaluable on a council with many new, young faces. She called Howard a “pivotal voice” on housing and homelessness, who isn’t afraid to vote for what she believes is in the best interest of her constituents.
“But she also knows how to listen, how to bring different groups to the table,” Borgens said. “She may be one of the older council members but she has never shown herself to be against change.”
Howard was first elected to the city council in 1994 and has served 24 years, including two terms as mayor.
In a speech introducing the two candidates, Bain echoed Borgens’ sentiments.
“We have several new council members and we need the history and the experience that Diane has,” he said.
Meanwhile, Madigan, who was at a watch party at the Blacksmith in downtown Redwood City, said he was optimistic about in-person voters.
“I have a lot of voters going to the polls for me,” Madigan said, sipping a beer at the bar just after 9 p.m. “I'm not conceding at all.”
Though originally nervous to run a campaign against Howard, Madigan said he deeply respected his opponent and, ultimately, was glad to have given the voters in his district a choice.
A longtime friend and Redwood City resident Clark Morey said he aligned with many of Madigan’s priorities, including addressing the homeless population, developing the port and supporting a better-trained and community-oriented police force.
He said he also was excited to see someone new representing the district on the city council.
“He’s coming in with a fresh pair of eyes, and he wants to make some change,” Morey said. “Everybody complains about politics, but not a lot of people do something about it. So hats off to him for that.”
Despite trailing Howard by nearly 1,000 votes, Madigan said he was mostly feeling grateful for the experience of running a council campaign. After knocking on “almost every door” in his district, he said he’d grown more connected to the city and its residents, whom he described as generous and kind and eager to engage.
“I want to serve the city in whatever way I can,” he said. “If I don’t win tonight, I will definitely consider running again…I’m here for the long haul,” he said.
This report will be updated as results become available.
