Supervisor Nathan Fletcher to face ReOpen San Diego leader Amy Reichert in November

San Diego County Supervisor Nathan Fletcher will run for re-election to the Fourth District in November against ReOpen San Diego founder Amy Reichert, according to certified election returns released by the Registrar of Voters Thursday.

Fletcher, who is seeking a second term, earned 62.13 percent of the vote, or 76,032 votes, according to the Registrar of Voters. Reichert, a marketing specialist and political newcomer, received 28.89 percent, or 35,349 votes, placing her in a run-off against Fletcher in November. San Diego County saw turnout of 34.9 percent, or 674,608, out of about 1.9 million registered voters in the June primary.

As San Diego copes with new variants of the COVID-19 virus and attempts a return to a new normal amid the ongoing pandemic, the supervisor race has shaped up as a referendum on the county’s pandemic response, with Fletcher touting decisive action as crucial to saving lives and his opponent accusing him of government overreach.

Although the race is officially nonpartisan, the candidates’ platforms split along party lines. The Fourth District, which encompasses much of central San Diego, La Mesa and Lemon Grove, is heavily blue, with nearly 200,000 Democrats to 80,000 Republicans and about 100,000 independent voters.

Fletcher, 45, is a former Marine intelligence specialist who has led the county’s COVID-19 response, spearheading early lockdown policies, testing protocol and vaccine rollout. He previously served in the California Assembly between 2008 and 2012. Although he served in the Assembly as a Republican, he later became an Independent and then joined the Democratic Party. He was endorsed for his seat by the San Diego Democratic Party.

Reichert, 54, is a licensed private investigator and marketing specialist who co-founded ReOpen San Diego, a nonprofit that has opposed the county’s COVID-19 action, and organized protests against mask and vaccine mandates. Reichert is a registered Republican and earned endorsement from the Republican Party of San Diego.

A third candidate, Sidiqa Hooker, received 8.98 percent or 10,988 votes, and will not be on the November ballot.