Early returns show Santa Clara County Supervisors race tight after polls close

The top two vote-getters in each contest will head to the general election in November unless a single candidate captures a majority of votes..

Races for two Santa Clara County Board of Supervisors seats were tight after polls closed on Tuesday night, while an unopposed incumbent appeared likely to lock up a third open seat.

Early returns showed Madison Nguyen, a former San Jose vice mayor, and Betty Duong, chief of staff for an outgoing supervisor, were locked in a tight race leading all candidates for District 2, which includes downtown and East San Jose. Nguyen had 32% of the vote and Duong had 29%.

In District 5, encompassing the northern part of the county and a swath of the West Valley, early returns placed Mountain View City Councilmember Margaret Abe-Koga and California State Board of Equalization member Sally Lieber at the top of the race with 42% and 25%, respectively.

District 3 Supervisor Otto Lee currently holds the remaining uncontested seat, likely cementing a second term representing Sunnyvale, Milpitas and parts of North San Jose.

The two competitive races are to replace soon-to-be-termed-out supervisors Cindy Chavez in District 2, and Joe Simitian, who is running for U.S. Congress, in District 5. The top two vote-getters in each contest will head to the general election in November unless a single candidate captures a majority of votes.

Supervisors will be expected to manage a more than $11 billion budget all while facing an estimated $250 million deficit in the coming fiscal year, triggered by the rising cost of labor and a slower turnover in home ownership that has curbed tax revenue streams.

In the coming years, the board also will grapple with finding a new funding source for affordable housing as Measure A, a $950 million affordable housing bond passed by voters in 2016, is nearly exhausted.

Check back for updates.