REGION — Escondido Mayor and once a Board of Supervisors candidate Sam Abed has endorsed his former opponent, Encinitas Mayor Kristin Gaspar, in the Nov. 8 election.
Gaspar is running against incumbent Dist. 3 Supervisor Dave Roberts after the two emerged from the three-candidate June 7 primary election and will face each other in a runoff.
Abed announced the endorsement Tuesday in a news release.
“I am endorsing Kristin Gaspar because she is committed to good fiscal management for San Diego County, will protect the taxpayers’ interests, and restore trust in the office of Supervisor,” Abed said.
Abed took a shot at Roberts, whose 2015 office scandal and county policy violations prompted his entry into the race.
“Roberts abused the taxpayers, used his office to advance himself politically, and he’s refused to take responsibility for the more than $300,000 in settlements taxpayers have had to pay because of his personal behavior,” Abed said.
While the endorsement does not a surprise — both Gaspar and Abed are Republicans — the announcement signals that he and Gaspar have smoothed over their relationship after a rocky primary in which both candidates traded sharp barbs at one another in debates and forums.
Gaspar accepted the endorsement in a statement included in Abed’s news release.
“Sam Abed has been a strong voice for conservative principles as mayor of Escondido,” Gaspar said. “He’s helped usher the city into an era of sound fiscal management and growth, while maintaining balanced budgets and creating new jobs. I appreciate his support and look forward to working with him to continue to push sound fiscal policy for the region.”
“Clearly Sam Abed is focused on his political future in the Republican Party with his support of Republican Kristin Gaspar who has endorsed Donald Trump,” said Roberts.
“I am focused on delivering results for the people of my district in a bipartisan manner and will continue to work with Mayor Abed to solve problems with real solutions.”
This story has been updated since its original posting.
