Former community college teacher and first-time candidate Lori Saldaña picked up the Democratic nomination for 76th State Assembly on Super Tuesday, March 2. Saldaña, who ran an intensive grassroots campaign based on voter contact and precinct walking, won a surprise victory with 41 percent of the vote, beating out Vince Hall, who had 31 percent, and Heidi von Szeliski, who gained 28 percent.

“Our strategy all along has been to go out and talk directly to the voters,” Saldaña said. When asked if she thought the political mudslinging between Hall and Szeliski might have carried votes her way, she said, “We stayed positive, and I think that people responded to our positive message.”

Saldaña, an associate professor of web design and information technology for the San Diego Community College District and longtime environmental activist, began walking precincts last June with her supporters, and networked extensively within the education, environmental and minority communities.

“All of my volunteers have worked super-hard, and it has been all volunteers,” she said. “My volunteers are the heart and soul of this campaign and they’re the ones who have won it for me.”

Polls showed Saldaña in the lead going into the election, and even Hall remarked on Saldaña’s commitment. “Lori Saldaña is a true Democrat,” he said in his concession speech Tuesday night. “She ran an incredible campaign. I do not hesitate to support her for State Assembly. But the fight is not over. Tomorrow morning you can be sure Lori will be out at 10:00 a.m. walking precincts, and we need to be out there helping.”

Among Hall’s supporters were many members of the San Diego Democratic Club, including past president Jess Durfee, Political Relations Chair Gloria Johnson, Program Chair Jeri Dilno, Special Events Coordinator Tim Orozco and new President Stephen Whitburn.

“It was a very hard-fought campaign, and you always hate it when your candidate doesn’t win,” Whitburn said. “But Lori Saldaña ran a terrific campaign, and was out walking precincts. … She worked very hard for this victory and she is definitely a friend of the GLBT community.”

Whitburn said that Saldaña’s chances of winning in November are good. “The 76th Assembly leans Democratic, and I think that there are enough active Democrats where if we work hard, we’ll be able to keep that seat Democratic.”

“Don’t let anyone for a second, lead you to believe that this wasn’t an incredibly well-run, well-managed campaign,” Hall said after thanking his supporters. “Our campaign was literally hijacked by the political system that is broken.”

Hall said groups outside of his campaign spent $330,000 on an aggressive series of mailers in the 76th District that attacked Szeliski about environmental and labor issues related to her work as a political consultant. “I had no legal ability to control, direct or guide those mailers,” he said. “Initially, they were helping us a lot because they were very nice and positive, but then they got … nasty negative. I felt like a passenger on a runaway train. I think we need to fix that, and do away with independent campaign expenditures in the state of California. I think we need be able to hold candidates responsible for their own campaign.”

Szeliski was not available for comment.