The campaign for a dead candidate vying for a seat on the Calaveras County Board of Supervisors is still determined to get him elected after he died while knocking on doors for votes.
Candidate Bruce Giudici, 68, fell and hit his head while out door knocking Sunday in Calaveras County, located east of Stockton. He died the next day, according to his campaign.
Giudici reportedly fell on a steep driveway. The homeowner called 911, and he was transported to San Joaquin General Hospital, where he later died.
Despite the death, his supporters are insisting to voters that he should still be elected.
“Bruce was passionate about preventing Clyde Clapp from returning to the Board of Supervisors,” his campaign said on social media, referring to his general election opponent.
“Bruce’s fight will not end today. We intend to continue his campaign and honor Bruce’s wishes by working to elect him in November.”
The state deadline for removing deceased candidates from the ballot passed on Aug. 27. Should Giudici win, the governor would decide on his replacement.
“We would hope, as people are understanding that Bruce has died, the people will pull together behind somebody who we will propose to the governor to be appointed to the position,” Carrie Biggs-Adams, a volunteer with the campaign, told KCRA.
Giudici, who ran for the supervisor seat multiple times, described himself as a fiscal hawk focused on responsible spending, citing his background in government fiscal oversight and experience overseeing 20 audits.
“Coming from fiscal, and knowing how important it is to make certain that things get done properly, (it is important) they’re looked at in depth, especially these days, when there’s a (county budgetary deficit),” he told the Calaveras Enterprise.
“It’s not a substantial deficit, but it is a deficit. That sort of attention to detail is something that we need on that board, and so, I think I will help fill that role.”
The November race could have been close, according to primary results. Giudici finished first with 1,061 votes, according to results from the county board of elections. Clapp, who previously served on the board of supervisors from 2017 to 2018, came in second with 1,023 votes.
Giudici had criticized Clapp for that past experience, saying on his website that Clapp “had his chance to make meaningful change for District 5 eight years ago and failed.”
Clapp told KCRA that Giudici’s death is tragic and that his family is in his prayers. The two have run against each other three different times, Clapp said.
