With 65% of the precincts counted, David Couch is on his way to outright victory against Emilio Huerta for 4th District Supervisor. Couch leads with 61% of the vote, which would be more than enough to avoid a run-off in November.
With California's primary system, a candidate must have more than 50% of the vote to win the election seat.
The race for the 4th District Supervisor was not without controversy.
Earlier this month, the law firm of Rodriguez & Associates announced that they were requesting the Kern County District Attorney's Office open a criminal investigation into Supervisor David Couch, among others, for allegedly filing illegal documents questioning the residency of 4th District supervisor candidate Emilio Huerta.
In a release sent Thursday, the firm called for the investigation to include Couch, Bakersfield Attorney Brandon Martin, Delano Mayor Joe Aguirre, and Fernando Flores.
Documents filed with the Kern County Superior Court in January show Aguirre filed a petition to have Huerta's name taken off the ballot. According to the documents, Aguirre alleged Huerta did not live in the district.
In January 23ABC asked Huerta about the allegations. Huerta acknowledged he had a residence on Oleander Street in Bakersfield but his main residence remained on Belmont Street in Delano.
