ASSEMBLY | 20TH DISTRICT | Republican Jaime Patino thought he was making a statement of goodwill toward his November opponent in the days after the June 3 Primary. Patino, who finished a distant second to Assemblymember Bill Quirk, a Democrat, in the Hayward and Tri Cities 20th District, personally called Quirk’s campaign, but received no response. He then attempted to email them, but still no response.

Patino then got testy since all he wanted to do was congratulate Quirk on his victory and pledge a clean and issues-oriented fall campaign. Quirk, though, said he was not aware Patino or his campaign was trying to get a hold of him. Nonetheless, Quirk contacted Patino last week and agreed with Patino’s call for a lively, but respectful race.

Quirk won the three-person primary with 66 percent of the vote. Patino qualified for the top two contest with 23.3 percent, followed by Hayward school board member Luis Reynoso with 10.7 percent. Patino’s campaign said Reynoso has already thrown his support to them for the November General Election.

However, the quest for comity was also urged by Patino during the spring. At the State Republican Party Convention last April in Burlingame, Patino repeatedly called Quirk a “good man,” but acknowledged significant differences in their political ideology. He also described an initial meeting earlier his year with Quirk when the first-term assembly member seemed surprised by Patino’s challenge to his seat. “What don’t you like about me?” Quirk asked him.

Nevertheless, the first-time candidate from Union City, has shown to be someone with a talent for biting rejoinders and pointed attacks. For instance, he acknowledged Quirk’s background in science by saying, “[Quirk] might be a rocket scientist, but when it comes to public policy, his ideas are way out of this orbit,” said Patino. Furthermore, following a candidate’s forum in Fremont, Patino’s campaign sent a press release speculating whether Quirk was receiving answers to question via an earpiece. But, Quirk sometimes uses a hearing aid.

Last week, Quirk also called Patino a “good man” and said he looked forward to meeting him at various candidate’s forums in the coming months. In the end, misunderstanding averted.

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