Candidate for Fresno County Superior judge seat 7 closing gap, despite being outspent
With 102,500 votes left to count from Tuesday’s election, the race for Fresno County Superior Court Judge seat 7 continues to tighten with about 2,800 votes separating the two candidates. Leading with 50.99 percent of the expected vote is Jeffrey Hammerschmidt, a prominent attorney known for taking on high-profile cases. On election night, Hammerschmidt jumped out to an early lead snaring 53% of the vote, but his challenger, senior public defender Jose Salazar, continued to close the gap with every updated vote count. Salazar’s share of the vote rose from 47% on election night to 49.01% as of Thursday. Another vote update is expected on Tuesday. Salazar admits he’s been woefully outspent by his opponent. Campaign finance reports show Hammerschmidt raised $88,201 for his campaign, that includes $40,000 he loaned to himself. Salazar, a Sanger native, raised $17,576 to fund his grassroots campaign. “I’m encouraged by the results. We worked hard to connect with voters,” he said. “I am from Fresno County and this community means a lot to me. It’s also meaningful to see how far we’ve come in a race where minority representation and diversity on the bench matters. I hope it encourages others, and I’m looking forward
