Recount abandoned: Vargas is the victor

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Assemblywoman Mary Salas (D-San Diego) has abandoned her recount effort after failing to close ground on former Assemblyman Juan Vargas in their contest for a state Senate seat.

Salas conceded defeat in the heated Democratic primary, which was decided by only 22 votes.

“Forty-four days after the polls closed, I am finally able to officially declare that I AM the Democratic nominee for state Senate in California’s 40th District,” Vargas said in a statement released late Thursday.

Vargas’ victory is a major defeat for Senate President Pro Tem Darrell Steinberg (D-Sacramento), who threw the weight of his office behind Salas. Vargas is the favorite to win the seat in the heavily Democratic district in November.

Special interests poured more than $2.9 million in independent spending into the race.

-- Shane Goldmacher in Sacramento