SACRAMENTO, Calif — More than three weeks after Election Day, voters in Northern and Central California are still awaiting official results in two high-profile races. Both the Sacramento mayoral race and California’s 13th Congressional District remain too close to call, as ballots continue to be counted.
Sacramento Mayoral Race Update
Assemblymember Kevin McCarty, a Democrat, has declared victory in the Sacramento mayoral race, though the race has not yet been officially decided.
McCarty, who has served as a state legislator, told members of the news media in a press conference, "We think that mathematically, it shows that we will be the next mayor of Sacramento."
However, Sacramento County officials confirmed that there are still 8,600 ballots left to count across the county. In addition, election officials are reaching out to voters whose ballots may have issues, such as missing or incorrect signatures on their envelopes.
“We had somewhere north of 8,000 ballots that we needed to cure, and we are down to about 3,000. We have had a little more than 5,000 ballots get fixed,” said Ken Casparis, Sacramento County Public Information Officer.
Despite McCarty's confidence, his opponent, Dr. Flo Cofer, has not yet conceded.
Political data expert Paul Mitchell of Political Data Inc. noted that with each new batch of counted ballots, Cofer is failing to close the vote gap fast enough.
“She has been gaining like a 56 to 44% kind of range. Not a 60% plus or so that you probably need to catch up and surpass Kevin McCarty,” explained Mitchell.
California's 13th Congressional District
In California's 13th Congressional District, the race between incumbent Republican John Duarte and Democratic challenger Adam Gray is still very much in flux.
The contest remains tight, with new ballots continuing to come in. Mitchell, who has been closely monitoring the race, stated that while the trend has been favorable for Gray in recent days, the race is far from over.
He emphasized the importance of transparency in Sacramento's ballot counting process, noting that five counties are involved in the 13th District race, and some of those counties lack the same level of transparency as Sacramento.
“The direction has been really good for Adam Gray for the last two days,” Mitchell said, adding, “but nobody there is getting close to claiming that race is over.”
Patience is Key as Ballots are Counted
Both races serve as a reminder of the importance of patience in the election process. With numerous ballots still left to count and cure, Mitchell urges voters to be understanding of the timeline.
“People will still be taking the office they were elected to, and we just have to be patient for the results,” Mitchell said.
Sacramento County officials have announced that they will continue curing ballots until Sunday, with plans to certify the election next week.
If you want to track your ballot in Sacramento County, click here.
WATCH MORE ON ABC10 | Newsom didn't support Prop. 36, but California did. This could be why
