Bruce Giudici is leading a California supervisor race two months after his death.
The 57-year-old candidate has pulled 1,982 votes, or 57 percent, against Clyde Clapp’s 1,496 votes, or 43 percent, in the Calaveras County District 5 Board of Supervisors contest, current tallies show. Giudici died on August 31 after falling on a steep driveway while campaigning door-to-door. His campaign has continued without him.
Carrie Biggs-Adams, a volunteer with the campaign, called the decision to keep going a “very complicated decision” and “emotional one,” She said volunteers ultimately chose to “finish his mission.”
“We just really appreciate the people who trusted us that a good person would come forward and be a better alternative as their district five supervisor,” Biggs-Adams told KCRA. “And we appreciate their support and their trust and now will help make sure somebody good is selected.”
The race remains technically unresolved. County officials still have 322 ballots left to count, plus another 340 “left to cure” because they lacked signatures or had signatures that did not match county records. It remains unclear whether any of those remaining ballots come from District 5.
Giudici’s own website delivered the news of his death to supporters shortly after the accident. “Bruce recently passed away unexpectedly after succumbing to injuries sustained from a fall while campaigning door-to-door,” the message read. “Bruce was on a mission to bring real leadership to District 5 ensuring your hard earned tax dollars are not wasted.”
The site also addressed what would happen if Giudici prevails posthumously. “If Bruce is elected, when the current Supervisor’s term ends in January, the vacancy will be temporarily filled by appointment of an interim Supervisor by the newly elected Governor (NOT Gavin Newsom) to serve until an election can be held to elect a new Supervisor,” the campaign explained. California’s governor-elect, Xavier Becerra, would make that appointment.
Social media posts from Giudici’s campaign have filled with voters urging others to cast ballots for the deceased candidate. “I feel it’s important to follow Bruce’s mission to have an ethical and qualified representative for District 5, that’s why I’m voting for Bruce Giudici,” one supporter wrote.
The circumstances of Giudici’s final day of campaigning have drawn wide attention. He was walking a steep driveway while making his rounds on August 31 when the fall occurred. The injuries proved fatal, cutting short a bid that had already drawn significant backing in the rural Northern California county.
Giudici’s website struck a defiant tone about his legacy even in announcing his death. “Bruce was beloved by many,” the message continued. “His passing has been met with an overwhelming outpouring of sympathy for the loss to his family, community, co-workers and organizations he supported through tireless dedication over the years.”
Clapp’s campaign did not respond to requests for comment on the unusual race dynamic.
