Lori Saldaña, Sara Ochoa and Will Rodriguez-Kennedy obeyed timekeeper Indroneal Banerjee (bottom right).
Will Rodriguez-Kennedy was elected chair of the San Diego County Democratic Party on Tuesday in an emotional Zoom meeting of the party’s Central Committee.
Rodriguez-Kennedy, who stepped aside as party chair in May 2022 amid sex-assault accusations, defeated former South Area Vice Chair Sara Ochoa 37-27, with three votes going to last-minute candidate Lori Saldaña, the former Assembly member.
No charges were brought, and a lawsuit by Rodriguez-Kennedy’s former boyfriend was dropped.
A half-hour into the meeting, San Diego City Council member Marni von Wilpert — already announced as a state Senate candidate in District 40 — said she was “strongly considering” a race to unseat GOP Rep. Darrell Issa in the 48th Congressional District.
Becca Taylor was elected chair in January 2023 to succeed Rodriguez-Kennedy after he stepped down. Taylor lost her life in a motorcycle crash in July 2024.
Taylor was succeeded by Kyle Krahel-Frolander (who quit the chair role to run for county supervisor in the North County) and then by Ross Pike, who ran Tuesday night’s 3-hour meeting.
After defeating a motion to delay the chair election (by a vote of 51-16), all three candidates made opening and closing statements and took questions. In the end, 17 members opted to abstain by not casting a vote, according to a chart posted on the Zoom.
Then, with the three rivals put into a waiting room, the Central Committee debated the merits of each candidate, who would serve as chair until January 2027.
Pike warned against any negativity or they would be muted. He didn’t have to.
This story will be updated.