Jim Sanders, a Merced city councilman now vying for a seat on the county Board of Supervisors, thinks his recent vote to declare the Central Presbyterian Church a local historic resource [1] may be among the reasons he won fewer votes than his opponent, Hub Walsh.

On June 3, Sanders and Walsh beat out three other candidates running for the county's District 2 Board of Supervisors seat. Walsh won 39 percent of the votes cast. Sanders took in 26 percent. That means both men will advance to a November runoff.

In an interview on election night, Sanders said he thinks the CPC vote may have been partly to blame for his second-place finish. While many District 2 voters championed Sanders' vote, many others probably disagreed with it, Sanders said.

"I think it was fresh in a lot of people's minds, and that may have impacted their vote," he said.

The question now is, will the issue still be fresh enough to have any affect in November?

Sanders said he's not sure. "I certainly hope it won't," he said. "But I'm not letting myself worry about that. I've never made a vote on the council just to win votes, and this issue was no different. I voted the way I thought was right."

What do you think? Any District 2 voters out there who voted for or against Sanders based on his call on the CPC? If so, will you do the same in November? Leave a post here and share your thoughts.