Two Races Heat Up in El Dorado County's June Primary

El Dorado County voters faced a pair of competitive local matchups when they headed to the polls on June 2 for California’s primary election. While statewide races dominated much of the buzz, residents in the foothills and surrounding areas had their own slate of consequential decisions to make—and depending on turnout and vote totals, some of these races could stretch all the way to November.

The treasurer-tax collector position brought together Sean Coppola and Corey Leikauf in a straightforward two-candidate race. This office handles the county’s finances and property tax collection, a role that touches every household and business in the jurisdiction. It might not generate the headlines of higher-profile campaigns, but it’s the kind of behind-the-scenes position that shapes how smoothly county operations actually run.

Things got more crowded in the Board of Supervisors District 4 race, where four candidates—Greg Clark, Robert Deitz II, Ted Gaines, and Gina Posey—competed for the seat. With four contenders in the mix, the math matters: unless someone claimed an outright majority (more than half the total votes cast), the top two vote-getters would automatically advance to a November runoff. That threshold system means candidates needed to build real coalitions, not just appeal to their base.

Under California’s primary rules, a candidate needs to win more than 50 percent of votes cast to win outright in June. Miss that target, and you’re headed back to the ballot in November—even if you came in first. It’s a format that can shake things up, reward candidates who build broader appeal, and sometimes surprise people who assumed June was the decisive round.

The results, posted after polls closed at 8 p.m., would shape which races remained competitive heading into the general election cycle. For El Dorado County voters, June 2 was about more than statewide noise—it was about who’d handle the county’s wallet and who’d represent District 4 on the board.