Chula Vista, California is a city with a moderately liberal political climate. In the last presidential election, 60.2% of the population voted for Democrats, 37.5% for Republicans, and 2.3% for Independents. The current mayor of Chula Vista is John McCann, who is non-partisan. However, most other elected officials in the city are affiliated with a political party. The upcoming election in Chula Vista is set to bring about a new class of leaders to shape the city.
Six candidates are vying to replace the current mayor Mary Casillas Salas: Ammar Campa-Najjar, Chula Vista Councilmember John McCann, Army veteran Spencer Cash, community college executive Zaneta Encarnación, Chula Vista Councilwoman Jill Gálvez, and former Councilmember Rudy Ramírez. In unofficial statements, Republican Councilman John McCann leads Democratic challenger and businessman Ammar Campa-Najjar. At a forum organized by the San Diego section of the League of Women's Voters in April, Campa-Najjar took advantage of the frustration when she joked that people were left glazed at the first mention of the idea of bringing a university to Chula Vista. This is the second important case in which the Chula Vista City Council, composed exclusively of Democrats, works against the newly elected Republican mayor. Rafer Weigel from KUSI reported live with Mayor John McCann about the situation now resolved. Campa-Najjar wants the city to seek more state and federal funding, attract more businesses to eastern Chula Vista, and rebuild areas of western Chula Vista to attract more visitors and encourage local entrepreneurs to open businesses. In National City, Kean-Ayub said that residents want the boldness that Sotelo-Solís demonstrated as mayor, especially to give the small town a strong voice on a regional scale.
But the race became very controversial between her and Rodríguez. At a forum held at Montevalle Community Center in Chula Vista, residents had an opportunity to hear from all six candidates vying to become the city's next mayor. Don Dumas, a member of the board of trustees at Southwestern College and U., said that McCann seems to have gotten more people from across the city to vote for him because he has had “that documented work for a long time in the city than his opponent”.
