Kamala Harris wins attorney general's race as Steve Cooley concedes [Updated]

More than three weeks after he declared victory in the race for state attorney general, Los Angeles County Dist. Atty. Steve Cooley conceded defeat Wednesday as he trailed by more than 50,000 votes in one of the closest statewide races in California history.

The decision means that San Francisco Dist. Atty. Kamala Harris will assume the post of California's top law enforcement official, giving Democrats a clean sweep of the statewide offices.

Uncertainty had swirled around the election result since shortly after the votes began to be counted on Nov. 2. Cooley claimed victory on election night, only to discover the next morning that he was behind. As county registrars scrambled to count more than 2 million ballots left uncounted after election day, the lead bounced back and forth, but Harris has held an advantage for more than a week.

By Tuesday evening, Harris led Cooley by nearly 53,000 votes -- 4,385,438 to 4,332,596 -- according to a Times review of updated vote tallies in all 58 counties. The secretary of state's office reported that there were 154,806 ballots left uncounted statewide, though the actual number is most likely much less given the delay in some counties reporting their most recent figures to the state's election agency.

To win, Cooley would need more than two-thirds of those votes to overtake Harris. So far, the gap between the candidates has been less than a single percentage point. Moreover, about two-thirds of the remaining votes are in counties that Harris carried, including Contra Costa, Monterey and Sonoma.

[Updated at 11:28 a.m.: Cooley called Harris on Wednesday morning to congratulate her and concede the election, said his campaign consultant Kevin Spillane.

“Frankly the margin is just too great to be made up with the votes that remain to be counted,” Spillane said.

He said that a recount, which must be paid for by the requesting candidate under state law, would be expensive and would not likely make up enough votes to overcome Harris’ lead. “It would be overly divisive, and we’re not confident that it would reverse it ultimately,” Spillane said.]

-- Jack Leonard

Photo: Steve Cooley. Credit: Los Angeles Times

Comments

[DaveC]

Great, ClubA, stay the hell out of California!!!

[coocoo CA]

A true victory for illegals and criminals!

[Kim Greene]

I read all the comments and have to chuckle, especially at Marie Magnin and the like - the Democrats have run Sacramento for the last twenty years and we are bankrupt. This is a good thing? You have now got an attorney general who is more invested in illegal alien rights than the rights of the citizens of California. Congrats - when gasoline is $9 a gallon due in part to Kamala's efforts, gosh I hope Marie and her Democratic friends are having a good time.

[Jones]

What was that old adage again ... about counting chickens before they actually hatch? Perhaps that is a lesson Cooley will learn.

[Marcos El Malo]

I hoped Cooley would win, but he is doing the right thing by conceding. Congratulations and best of luck to Ms. Harris. I hope she proves me wrong regarding my opinion of her.

Cooley is not against Medical Marijuana. He is in favor of MM users growing their own, either individually or collectively. What he is against is over the counter sales for profit under the guise of the MM laws. Personally, I'm in favor of total legalization, but I see his point.

[Marcos El Malo]

I also want to say to "Club A":

Please, stay away from CA. I'm a Cooley supporter, but your opinion is an insult to all Californians. By all means, barricade yourself in your little world.

[kallan Mirza]

California is not for TEA PARTY.Do not underestimate the power of the enlightened masses of the west.

[mom in LA]

What a shame!!! I live in LA, California!! When are people in California going to wake up?????

[Iolanthe]

Thank God.

[Tom]

PDF is so right! Good job Harris! I hope she remembers who put her over the top, medical Marijuana voters!

[Supa]

ClubA, please stay away from California forever. Thanks.

Congrats Kamala! :D

[jerry lee]

To bad we can't get fooley out of Los Angeles. sore loser

[312capri]

The residents of California have spoken. I now politely suggest that all of you start praying! In God you trust because you can't trust these politicians.

Amen

[jerry lee]

To bad we can't get fooley out of Los Angeles. sore loser

[Giancarlo]

Some people are criticizing this and saying they won't visit California hahahha. Kamala Harris not a blessing for criminals. She's tough on crime, but at the same time, is for equal rights. She will not defend Proposition 8 in the court either. This is a huge victory for California, and especially minorities within the state. The real sad shame here are all the false, misleading posts saying she won't be tough on crime. You guys couldn't be anymore wrong.

[Josue]

I don't understand why when they do these kinds of precise election counts, the number of votes for the other candidates and propositions don't change. How can they have complete results the morning after the election for all the other things on the ballot except for one? What if prop 19 really did pass?

[Carol in So Cal]

That's all this state needs - an environmental attorney as the top cop! LOL I thought it was a joke when I first heard her "qualifications." This state is doomed. Just waiting for our kids to graduate from high school, and then we will get the heck out of here for retirement. I wonder who's going to pay for all the goodies for the illegal aliens when taxpaying citizens relocate to more fiscally conservative states.

[Bob]

Great, an AG who is against the death penalty. I thought their job was to enforce the laws not selectively according to their personal views.

[312capri]

Yep you voted, you won and now it's time to take your medicine. I hope the new Republican US Congress tells you NO to ever request for additional funds. Solve you're own problems they do not belong to the rest of the country. Maybe you can get Mexican President Felipe Calderón to help you out!

[rams1956]

more illegal alien love.

[donkey patrol]

Club A, great, we have too many people having fun out here already......

[Gary Cauble]

Hello people... California has been run by democrats since the 60's... They are the ones that can't balance a budget... LOL.... You people don't even have a clue what is in store for California in the next 4 years...
Well at least we know you will gain more unemployment....

[kat daddy]

YESSSSS!!!! Ding, Dong Cooley's gone!!!!!
No on Screwy Cooley.
Okay LA, now we just have to get him out of our state so he dosen't screw us anymore with his hidden agendas.

[rams1956]

make room more illegals coming in.

[Jack Meyhoffer]

Wonderful news. Now maybe ALL of California can be made a sanctuary for illegal aliens instead of just San Francisco. No wonder our once wonderful State is in the position that it is in. We fools keep electing the same left-wing nuts for office. California is spinning out of control and it doesn't appear to be stoppable. God help us all.