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

[3825You]

This is a HOMERUN for all citizens
who support, defend and believe in
the CONSTITUTION.

[Chai]

ClubA: Please Don't ! We dont need you here.... :)

[Jasmine]

I'm surprised by the number of posters who think that enforcing the law against corporations will somehow kill business. How many California businesses are breaking the law?

If they do leave the state, good riddance! That will make all the more room for honest businesses to thrive.

[wwelsh]

I'm so glad that I live in the state of California, and not some place like Texas. While Steve Cooley did the right thing by conceding to Kamela Harris, his views are too extreme for the majority of Californians. Had he been running in a state like Arizona, or Texas, he would have won handily against the likes of Kamela Harris. It goes to show that Californians have more common sense than the rest of the country. Most of the postings that have been made by those on the right, are simply talking points from FOX news, and various other right wing news outlets, and are factually in error. To those who think California will fall off the cliff into financial disaster, look at the California of the sixties. The Dems ran the state, and we were the most prosperous state in the union. We are the fifth largest economy in the world, so the rest of the nation needs us. It will be California that will be leading the rest of the country out of the "so-called" great rescession. We love our freedoms here in California, unlike the rest of the country which is more than willing to give up theirs in the name of false security.

[Gari Senderoff]

Oh yipee. Thank God for Kamala Harris. Imagine if this crazy Steve Cooley would have been elected? I am from Florida and I am so proud of or sophisticated voters over here - so proud to call CA home and be an actual constituent here. This makes my Thanksgiving just a little sweeter as I supported/voted for her. Congrats to Ms. Kamala Harris! WONDERFUL news.

[BlatantPropaganda]

This is a great victory for California. Its about time we came out of the closet and made the "sanctuary state" status official. Its also good to know her leadership comes from the mindset of;

“Just because you legally possess a gun in the sanctity of your locked home doesn’t mean that we’re not going to walk into that home and check to see if you’re being responsible and safe in the way that you conduct your affairs.”

The 2nd and 4th amendments are clearly just suggestions to be ignored if there is an imagined or percieved public (relations) benefit and thank the lord she recognizes this. Also she is wise enough to realize that murderers don't deserve the death penalty under any circumstances. The poor killers probably weren't loved by their parents and are thereby not responsible for their own actions so clearly the ultimate penalty should be off the table.

Thank you Kamala. Good to know that once (r)amnesty fails and groups of illegal aliens take to the street enmasse to do more than demand our capitulation, citizens can run to their safes, reassemble their single-shot black powder rifles and die in the streets trying to defend their families.

[James Corcoran]

As a life-long Republican, Kamala Harris earned my first Democrat vote. While I disagree with her leanings, I admire her integrity. In government, as in leadership, principle trumps preference.

[Toni]

Congratulations to Kamala Harris from the UK we have been supporting you!!!

[gil]

This is sooo cool. with ALL democrats in charge california can now accelerate it's cescent into be annexed into Mexico. You guys know what the definition of insanity is right?? voting for the same liberal dummies over and over and expecting a good state governement...

[whitebimbopan]

To all those hateful repugs and tea baggers that are wanting to leave and not visit our great state of Califas. All I can say is keep your hillbilly azes outta my state don't want your hateful kind around me and mine. Bon voyage to those that can not wait to leave my beautiful state and p s don't let the door hit ya where the good lord split ya.

[Vicki Sue Unatin]

I am thrilled we had a Democratic sweep. This states is in a crisis and we need those who will fight for the rights of all of us. In the tough choices that have to be made, I want to know that they aren't made out of prejudice or hatred or discrimination, but out of necessity and for the greater good.

[Davve]

Whatever, sad and stiff stagnant republicans.....you never have been and never will be any fun at all.....DOWN WITH THE REPUBLICANS!!!!!!