A congressional candidate in what was a tight race for a seat covering parts of Ventura and Los Angeles Counties has declared victory, but his opponent says it’s still too close to call.
The latest numbers show that Republican Mike Garcia has a 400 vote lead over Democrat Christy Smith for the 25th District Seat, with some votes still being counted. The California Secretary of State’s Office reports that Garcia has 50.1% of the vote to Smith’s 49.9%
Garcia issued a press release Friday saying that after a long, tough fight, he is proud to have earned the privilege of serving the district for the next two years. He says with only a few ballots yet to be counted, victory is clear. But, Smith issued a statement saying that Garcia’s declaration of victory is wholly inappropriate, with thousands of ballots yet to be counted.
The 25th District is mostly in Los Angeles County, but includes a slice of eastern Ventura County.
