Tordillos declares victory in San Jose District 3 special election to fill disgraced former councilman’s seat

(KRON) — San Jose Planning Commission Chair Anthony Tordillos has declared victory in the special election to fill the seat vacated by disgraced former San Jose City Councilman Omar Torres. Tordillos, who is also a software engineer, declared a “landslide victory” in the San Jose City Council District 3 special election.

As of Thursday, Tordillos is leading his opponent with nearly 65% of the vote. Tordillos will be the first ever Filipino member of the San Jose City Council and only the third LGBTQ+ member of the council.

The San Jose Mercury News said that “the current results reflect a meteoric rise for Tordillos, who entered the race as a dark horse candidate against a crowded field with significantly more political experience and connections.”

“District 3 voters showed they won’t settle for status quo San Jose politics. They’re tired of the same old fights between ‘business’ and ‘labor’ — they want a councilmember they can count on to deliver results on housing affordability, homelessness, and public safety,” Tordillos said. “We were never supposed to make it this far, but thanks to the hundreds of volunteers who knocked on over 30,000 doors, we’re here.”

Tordillos’ opponent, Gabby Chavez-Lopez, conceded the race with a message to supporters in which she bizarrely referred to him as “Anthony Trujillo.” While Chavez-Lopez admitted the results weren’t what she hoped for, she said she was “incredibly proud of the campaign we ran.”

Chavez-Lopez, a nonprofit executive, also highlighted what she called “unprecedented levels of misinformation and negative attacks from outside special interest groups,” naming the California Association of Realtors and conservatize news outlet, BizPAC.

Tordillos, who was endorsed by the Santa Clara County Democratic Party, San Jose Mayor Matt Mahan, and former Assemblymember Evan Low, among others, will assume the San Jose District 3 seat, representing much of downtown San Jose. The seat was last held by Omar Torres, who resigned in disgrace last year and was convicted earlier this year for sexually molesting a minor in 1999.

The San Jose Registrar of Voters has not officially called the election in Tordillos’ favor.