The potentially historic race to become East San Jose’s next voice in countywide policy making is heating up.
A new poll this month funded by a pro-business political action committee shows two Vietnamese American candidates as the frontrunners for the Santa Clara County Board of Supervisors District 2 seat, with former San Jose Vice Mayor Madison Nguyen in the lead followed by Betty Duong , chief of staff for terming out D2 Supervisor Cindy Chavez.
Other candidates include Alum Rock Union School District Trustee Corina Herrera-Loera , Jennifer Celaya, the Native American founder of the nonprofit New Beginnings, and Nelson McElmurry, a practicing attorney.
Political consulting group Pathfinder Strategies conducted the poll between Jan. 9 and Jan. 13. Live operators called the landlines and cell phones of 400 likely primary voters in Santa Clara County. The poll results have a 5% margin of error. The Strong Economy Silicon Valley PAC funded the poll.
The poll claims Nguyen has the highest percentage of voters considering her as either a first or second choice, and that she’s the only candidate reaching above 50% of voters considering her. Duong follows at 38%, with Herrera-Loera at 33%, McElmurray at 13% and Celaya at 10%.