Underdog candidate surges ahead in race for Fresno County Superior Court judge seat 7
Senior public defender Jose Salazar has overtaken veteran attorney Jeffrey Hammerschmidt by 2,999 votes in the race for Fresno County Superior Court judge seat 7. This is the first time since the Nov. 3 election that Salazar has moved into the lead as the votes continue to be counted. As of 3:30 p.m. Tuesday, Salazar’s vote tally had climbed to 50.77% of the expected votes, or 98,653 votes. His opponent Hammerschmidt, had 49.23% of the expected vote with 95,654 votes. The previous vote count on Nov. 5 had Salazar behind by about 2,800 votes. “I’m excited to be in the lead and confident that this momentum will continue. I’m incredibly grateful to the people of Fresno County for believing in me and placing their trust in me,” Salazar said Tuesday. Still left to be counted are 36,900 ballots. That will happen on Nov. 13 before 5:00 p.m. Salazar, a Sanger native, led a grassroots campaign having raised $17,576. Meanwhile, Hammerschmidt, who has defended some high-profile clients, collected $88,201 for his campaign, including $40,000 he loaned to himself. He also raked in numerous endorsements: the Fresno Police Officers Association, Fresno County Prosecutors Association and the Fresno Chamber of Commerce. Salazar’s endorsements
