Political Campaigns
Only a few months after Baca was elected to the state senate, Congressman George Brown, Jr., the longest-serving member of either house of Congress in California's history, died after a long illness. Baca finished first in a seven-way primary, but fell far short of a majority due to the presence of two minor Democratic candidates. In the runoff, Baca defeated Republican Elia Pirozzi with 50.4%. He won the seat in his own right in 2000 with 59% of the vote. Brown had faced several unusually close races over the years and the state legislature had been looking to shore up the district even before his death. After the 2000 census, the district was renumbered as the 43rd and reconfigured as a majority-Hispanic district. Baca was handily reelected from this redrawn district in 2002, and didn't face another close contest again until 2012.
After the 2010 United States Census, the Citizens Redistricting Commission significantly redrew California's congressional map. The bulk of Baca's former territory became the 35th District, though his home in Rialto was placed in the 31st District. Baca opted to run in the 35th, and finished first in the all-party primary with 46.7 percent of the vote. His nearest opponent, State Senator Gloria Negrete McLeod, took 34 percent. In the general election, Negrete McLeod defeated Baca, taking 56 percent to Baca's 44 percent.
Read more about this topic: Joe Baca
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