Lead Shifts Between Yee and Perez for 2nd in Controller's Race

Betty Yee and fellow Democrat John Perez continue to jockey for second place in California’s state controller’s race. The second place spot has also been held by Republican David Evans, who now sits in fourth. With over 320,000 votes left to be counted as of Tuesday night, the results have yet to be decided.

This week both Yee and Perez have held second place. Tuesday night’s tally left Perez with a 1,128 vote lead. Results from counties with more than 5,000 votes left to count were split between favoring Yee and Perez. Los Angeles, home territory for Perez, has so far favored him in results with 27.8% to Yee’s 23% and still had over 52,000 votes to count as of Tuesday night. However, Sacramento, with over 59,000 votes left to count as of Tuesday night, has so far favored Yee 25.3% to Perez 20.5%. Still, some of those left to count are provisional and could be thrown out if found to be invalid.

Voter registration statistics in the counties that are still counting significant numbers lean mostly Democrat, thus making a comeback by once-second-place Republican Evans unlikely.

Results from California’s Secretary of State website lists additional close contests. One of those close contests involves another second place battle for the U.S. House of Representatives seat 24. Currently, the seat is held by Lois Capps, who has so far garnered 43.7% of the vote in this primary election. Capps faced two Democrat, five Republican, and one No Party Preference challengers. Republican challengers have so far received a combined 50.4% of the vote.

The two Republicans in the running to face off against Capps are Justin Fareed, 15.4%, and Chris Mitchum, 15.8%. Capps has held a seat in Congress since 1998 after winning a special election to fill her deceased husband’s congressional seat. Having survived two instances of redistricting, including a defeat over Republican Abel Maldonado in 2012, she now faces a tough race in November.

In the race for Assembly District 33, nine Republicans and one Democrat campaigned to make it through the June 3 primary election to be one of the two candidates to appear on the November general election ballot. Democrat John Coffey, with a modest 23.1% of the vote, will likely take on either Jay Obernolte, 18.9%, or Michelle Ambrozic, 17.6%, both Republicans.