Bakersfield area Assembly race called, 2 others still being counted
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Democrat Rudy Salas Jr., a Bakersfield city councilman, has won election over Republican Pedro Rios in one of two close state Assembly races needed to cement a two-thirds majority for Democrats in the lower house, according to the Associated Press.
Salas extended his lead to 2,503 votes on Tuesday morning. Rios, a former Delano city councilman who owns Rios Portable Toilets, had not conceded, but Salas supporters said his lead would be difficult to overcome given the ballots that remain to be counted in the 32nd Assembly District.
To get a supermajority, Democrats also have to win the 65th Assembly District race in Orange County.
There, Democrat Sharon Quirk-Silva, a Fullerton city council member, has a 2,222-vote lead over Republican Assemblyman Chris Norby of Fullerton. Norby has not conceded the contest. There were more than 14,800 ballots still to be counted.
In another close race, this one between two Democrats, Santa Monica Mayor Richard Bloom held a 103-vote lead over Assemblywoman Betsy Butler after 142,000 votes were counted in the 50th Assembly District. An unkown number of other ballots remain to be counted.
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-- Patrick McGreevy in Sacramento
