Nearly a full month after the November election, what was a too close to call congressional election in Ventura and Los Angeles Counties has finally been settled.
Democrat Christy Smith conceded the 25th District Congressional race to Republican Mike Garcia. The race see-sawed back and forth for weeks.
The Secretary of State’s Office reports Garcia has a 405 vote lead over Smith. While some votes are being counted, in a prepared statement Smith said it was clear she would be unable to close the gap. Garcia declared victory more than a week ago, but at the time Smith said the race was still too close to call.
The race was to fill a seat vacated by Democrat Katie Hill. She resigned midway through her first term in office because of a scandal. The district includes parts of eastern Ventura County, as well as a chunk of LA County.