FRESNO, Calif. (KFSN) — His bid for the ballot is over.
Rene Campos, a registered sex offender, will not be on the ballot for the District 7 council race, as he failed to gather the 20 signatures needed to finalize his candidacy.
Campos set out to run for Fresno City Council last month, making national headlines.
RELATED: ‘You are not your past’: Registered sex offender seeks to join race for Fresno City Council
He was upfront about his past. The Fresno native was charged with being in possession of child sex abuse material in 2018. He tells Action News, he plead no contest to a misdemeanor charge.
“That was his 15 minutes of fame,” says AJ Rassamni, candidate for Fresno City Council District 7.
“Today’s a victory for the people of Fresno,” says Nav Gurm, candidate for Fresno City Council District 7.
“We will continue to stand against any kind of sexual predator,” says Ariana Martinez Lott, candidate for Fresno City Council District 7.
We waited outside the Fresno County Election’s Office until the 5 o’clock deadline, but Campos never appeared.
County Clerk James Kus, tells me Campos pulled the paperwork to get the signatures just that morning.
“There’s a wide range of how candidates go about that process,” says Kus.
In a statement to Action News, Campos called the campaign a ‘fight.’ He went on to say, “There were attacks, pressure, and moments when standing up meant standing completely alone.” He vowed to ‘keep standing.’
Campos’ run put Fresno on a national stage.
“He’s really brought national mockery. You know, he had people all around the country saying what the hell is going on in Fresno,” says Gurm.
We first spoke to him last week for his first TV interview where he was upfront about his past.
Then on Monday, he held a press conference outside a church and school to respond to the backlash he received.
The coverage of his run prompted a push for legislative change at the city and state level.
Assemblywoman Esmeralda Soria proposed a law to bar registered sex offenders from running or holding public office.
RELATED: CA bill would ban registered sex offenders from holding office after Fresno candidate sparks outcry
Saying Friday, “no other community should have to go through this.” Promising to get the bill to the governor’s desk.
Campos looked to enter a busy field of candidates. Each say they can now focus on the real issues plaguing the district.
For Ariana Martinez Lott, it’s a lack of investment.
“They can’t walk to school safely; our parks continue to be delayed with construction, and families can’t afford rent,” says Martinez Lott.
For AJ Rassamni, it’s safety and the homelessness crisis.
“We cannot continue doing what we’ve been doing. We need real solutions,” says Rassamni.
And Nav Gurm says it’s about long-term solutions.
“How do we make the city more affordable? How do we build more housing in Fresno? How do we create more jobs in Fresno? How do we take care of our cities infrastructure?” says Gurm.
The elections office is still actively reviewing all paperwork from each candidate to officially finalize the names on the ballot.
At this point, Campos can still put his name as a write-in candidate, but has not said he intends to do so.
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