SACRAMENTO, Calif. _ Rep. Tony Cardenas easily topped a five-way field of candidates Tuesday, despite facing a lawsuit accusing him of child molestation.
Cardenas, a Democrat from California's San Fernando Valley, had earned support from more than two-thirds of voters in his district based on tallies as of Wednesday morning. Republican Benny Bernal was in second place with 18 percent of the vote.
The suit alleges that Cardenas groped a 16-year-old girl in Los Angeles more than a decade ago. The congressman has vigorously denied the claims, saying that they were the invention of a former staff member. No public evidence has emerged to support the lawsuit's claims, and The Times has been unable to corroborate any of the allegations.
Cardenas appears to have received stronger support in his district than in the primary two years ago. In June 2016, Cardenas garnered 61 percent of the vote among five candidates including former Los Angeles City Councilman Richard Alarcon, a Democrat. Cardenas trounced Alarcon in the general election.
