Results of California Special Delayed
California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger (R) on Tuesday night decreed that the results of the special open primary to replace former Rep. Ellen Tauscher (D-Calif.) won’t be released until after 1 a.m. EDT on Wednesday because of the wildfires raging in the Golden State.Special polling stations on the fire lines will be held open until then to enable firefighters and volunteers who live in the 10th Congressional district to vote in the special election. Polls in the district closed at 11 p.m. EDT on Tuesday, but under state law, no election results can be announced until every polling place is closed. State officials did not estimate how many 10th district voters are currently on the fire lines.Fourteen candidates appeared together on the all-party primary ballot in the East Bay district, but the key battle was to see who finished first among Democrats. Lt. Gov. John Garamendi (D) topped all recent public polls, but state Sen. Mark DeSaulnier (D), state Assemblywoman Joan Buchanan (D) and Iraq War veteran Anthony Woods (D) were also in the mix.Under state law, the top vote-getters from each party will advance to a special general election on Nov. 3. Attorney David Harmer is the leading Republican candidate, but because the district is so heavily Democratic he will be the distinct underdog in the fall. Check RollCall.com on Wednesday morning for full results.