Horvath declares victory in Los Angeles County supervisors race
In this June 17, 2018 file photo, Los Angeles County Supervisor Mark Ridley-Thomas hugs a campaign volunteer after announcing his election victory after months of campaigning. A voter turnout rate of 63.5 percent among eligible voters in the June election set the stage for Ridley-Thomas to defeat John Duran, the leader of the opposing “supervisor 8” political action committee. (Photo by Mark R. Jones, Los Angeles Daily News)
Ridley-Thomas declared victory in Tuesday’s Los Angeles County supervisor election, in which Duran led by roughly 2 percentage points after election night. The victory moves Ridley-Thomas, 55, into a runoff against Duran on the November 2018 ballot, where he’ll face an even more ambitious opponent in the race for mayor.
In an email to supporters Saturday night, Ridley-Thomas said he would soon appoint a general contractor to start the hiring of his own staff. “This has been a long battle, but I am proud of our campaign that we have fought to protect the people of Los Angeles and for the values of honesty, integrity, and respect. With this victory, I will be able to hire my own staff, raise my family and continue fighting to continue to bring about change.”
The Associated Press projected Duran, 58, as victory with less than a month to go before the Nov. 5 election.
Ridley-Thomas won the five-year term, with 49.9 percent of the vote to Duran’s 49 percent, according to election results released by the Los Angeles County Registrar-Recorder-Register. Nearly 75,000 voters cast ballots, a turnout rate of 63.5 percent.
The outcome put three seats on the ballot up for grabs next month in what could be the biggest elections in Los Angeles County history.
A week after the Aug. 1 election, Duran’s attorney argued that election officials failed to adequately secure ballot boxes and required the county assessor to review ballots to ensure they met election rules. On Friday the Elections Enforcement Coalition demanded a temporary restraining order to halt what it called “irregular” votes and a recount that could cost the county $9 million. U.S. District Judge Philip Gutierrez rejected that request but said he
