Peters, DeMaio Look to November in 52nd District Race

Primary results mark the beginning of what’s expected to be a knock-down drag-out fight for votes in the Congressional 52nd District

U.S. Rep Scott Peters D-52nd District lost Tuesday night but not at the polls.

The congressman, who admitted he was surprised by the June primary results, told NBC 7 he had lost a bet with his campaign manager. He thought they would be down by 5 percent. She bet him they would be down by 4 percent.

“I’m happy to lose that bet,” Peters said laughing.

With Democrats not showing up at the polls, Peters earned 45 percent of the vote, a good 6 percent above his closest challenger Republican and former San Diego City Councilmember Carl DeMaio.

Peters’ lead suggests DeMaio has some work to do between now and November.

“It really must be a sign that people have noticed I’m taking a bipartisan approach for us to be up,” he said before midnight Tuesday.

With the 52nd District one of only 7 Congressional races considered a pure political tossup this year, the fight is sure to intensify with politcos around the country taking notice.

“I’m running against the traditional politician here. Somebody who talks a good game but hasn’t done anything to solve problems,” DeMaio told NBC 7.

“The best way to take the gloves off is to do what we’re doing, offering bold ideas, positive solutions, running on a record of getting results. That scares the Washington establishment more than anything,” he said.

Peters said they’ve conserved resources to focus on the November election.

He considers the upcoming election the chance for voters to say partisanship and hyper-extremism is not what Americans want out of Congress.

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