CITYWIDE ¬ó Assemblywoman Betsy Butler (D-53) and Santa Monica Mayor Richard Bloom still hold the top two positions in the close race for the 50th Assembly District seat as county officials continued totaling uncounted ballots Friday.
As of 4:30 p.m. Friday, Butler had 13,677 votes, leading Bloom’s 13,542 by 132.
Both are ahead of their fellow Democrat Torie Osborn, who slipped into fourth place behind Republican Bradley Torgan with 12,811 and 12,832 votes respectively.
Each of the four candidates have gained approximately 1,000 new votes over the past three days, leaving percentages nearly unchanged, according to the Los Angeles County Registrar-Recorder/County Clerk’s Office.
County officials would not disclose how many ballots remain to be counted in the 50th District as of Friday. On Thursday, however, that number was 13,465.
That leaves room for hope in such a close election.
Osborn sent out an e-mail to her supporters Friday urging them not to throw their weight behind either Bloom or Butler just yet.
“There is a possibility that, given the majority of these ballots were from last minute voting, my margin of 673 could be made up,” Osborn said, continuing to say that it was not “highly probable.”
ashley@www.smdp.com