2 out of 10 ain't bad

At least if you're Tom Benigno.

The perennial candidate found himself on the losing end of an election tally once again Tuesday, as Leroy Ornellas secured re-election to the San Joaquin County Board of Supervisors by a 60-point margin. That's a shellacking.

But despite Benigno's maligned reputation among many local politicos — Ornellas' 2008 campaign manager is on record saying "It's pretty difficult to take Tom seriously" — he still managed to pull in 2,128 votes (a small but not shameful 20 percent).

Count on that showing at the polls to give Benigno the encouragement to run yet again in 2010. In the ever-changing world of politics, it's nice having something you can count on.