In the contest for the 26th State Senate district, Ben Allen and Sandra Fluke will go head-to-head today after the pair collected the most votes at the June 3 primary.
Allen, 37, was that top vote getter with 19,710 votes (21.8 percent) while Fluke, 33, tallied 17,797 votes (19.7 percent).
Allen is currently serving as a board member of the Santa Monica-Malibu Unified School District (SMMUSD), while Fluke is a women’s rights activist and attorney who gained the national spotlight after a House of Representatives committee refused to allow her to testify about the significance of insurance companies being required to cover birth control.
Both candidates are seeking to succeed State Sen. Ted Lieu in a district that includes Santa Monica and other communities on the Westside and in the South Bay.
Coincidentally, Lieu, himself, is one of two finalists in the race to ultimately succeed Henry Waxman’s congressional seat today.
The stage is also set in an election featuring two candidates under the age of 40.
