Jimmy Gomez appears likely to become the next Assemblyman for the region stretching from Silver Lake and Echo Park to East L.A.

In early returns, Gomez held a 57-43 percent advantage over his opponent, Luis Lopez. His lead extended to 60-40 with about half the precinct ballots counted.
Gomez, the political director of United Nurses Associations of California, had the backing of the Democratic Party and most of the elected leadership in the area.

Lopez works for AltaMed, a network of non-profit health clinics. Lopez had the support of Jackie Goldberg, the liberal former Assemblywoman who used to represent that area. He accused Gomez of being a carpetbagger, and launched a variety of attacks on him in the waning days of the race.

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