SACRAMENTO, Calif. — Dr. Flojaune Cofer has conceded the Sacramento mayor's race to Asm. Kevin McCarty, clearing the way for him to take the helm and lead the city.
The race for Sacramento mayor was a tumultuous one, seeing McCarty's lead dwindle but ultimately never fall to Cofer. McCarty was locked in a race where Cofer gathered more and more votes as ballots were counted after Election Day, but she was never able to overtake his lead.
McCarty declared victory last week, but Cofer waited for every vote to be counted. On Tuesday, she conceded the race.
"While I wished the outcome of the election was different, I want to take this moment to reflect on the movement we've built over the past 20 months. We proved that Sacramento believes that more is possible. We proved that Sacramento is a city filled with people who want effective solutions without compromising our compassion. We proved that there is viability and popularity in running a people-powered campaign without taking corporate contributions. We lived out our values by focusing on the vision for Sacramento and not maligning our opponents in the primary or general elections. We led with love and had a great time doing it," Cofer said in a statement.
McCarty, who is 52, spent the last 10 years representing Sacramento in the state Assembly. Before that, the lifelong Sacramentan served a decade as a city councilmember.
He previously told ABC10 he has “experience knowing how to work within the system and support. I have the majority of people who serve on the legislative bodies in Sacramento — the County Board of Supervisors, City Council — who have engaged in this race, endorsed our campaign.”
On Tuesday afternoon, McCarty led with 96,433 votes (50.51%) to Cofer's 94,495 votes (49.49%). According to Sacramento County, there are no more votes left to process.
The county has until Dec. 5 to certify final, official results.
Cofer's full statement can be seen below:
