Supporters of a Calaveras County Board of Supervisors candidate say they will continue pushing for his election, even after he died following a campaign stop while canvassing for votes.
Bruce Giudici, 68, was going door to door Sunday in Calaveras County, east of Stockton in Northern California, when he fell and struck his head, according to his campaign. He died the following day.
Giudici reportedly lost his footing on a steep driveway. The homeowner contacted 911, and he was taken to San Joaquin General Hospital, where he later succumbed to his injuries.
Even after his death, Giudici’s campaign team is urging voters to keep his name in mind at the ballot box.
“Bruce was passionate about preventing Clyde Clapp from returning to the Board of Supervisors,” the campaign wrote in a social media post, naming Giudici’s opponent in the general election.
“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.”
Because California’s deadline to remove deceased candidates from the ballot passed on Aug. 27, Giudici’s name is expected to remain before voters. If he wins the Calaveras County supervisor race, the governor would be responsible for choosing 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.
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