I picked up some detailed results from June's 4th District Supervisor's race between challenger Cliff Thompson and Supervisor Ray Watson.

As predicted, the deciding factor in the race was the vote in Bakersfield.

And Watson stomped Thompson in Bakersfield. The margin was 8606 votes for Watson to 4584 for Thompson. That's a commanding 65 percent of the vote for Watson.

The city with the next highest number of 4th District voters — Wasco with 1,279 total votes — went Watson's way too with 57 percent of voters favoring the incumbant.

Thompson won, unsurprisingly, in his native Taft and in nearby Maricopa.

But with only 1292 voters at stake in the two cities, Thompson's commanding wins there didn't help him enough.

What also hurt him was the results of voting in the unincorporated areas of the 4th District.

With 6689 votes up for grabs in unincoporated areas speaking to voters there was more inmportant than Taft, Maricopa and Wasco altogether.

Thompson ran a campain that bashed Watson for ignoring outlying areas of his district. Thompson had strong supporters (and Watson detractors) in Frazier Park, Pine Mountain Club and outlying areas of Rosedale.

And he won the most voters in the unincorporated area — by a single vote. Thompson got 3330 votes. Watson got 3329.

That hollow win in the county areas of the 4th District sealed Thompson's fate.

James Burger

Californian staff writer