Lungren’s Lead Nears 30,000 in Attorney General’s Race

With a statewide tabulation of absentee ballots virtually completed, Republican state attorney general candidate Dan Lungren led Democrat Arlo Smith by a whisker-thin margin of just under 30,000 votes Tuesday.

Lungren, who had trailed Smith by almost 29,000 votes on election night two weeks ago, picked up 20,979 votes on his rival in Orange County this week after Smith dropped a lawsuit Friday challenging the vote-counting process in the conservative stronghold.

Lungren declared victory last week after taking the lead by fewer than 10,000 votes. But Smith has refused to concede and has a second lawsuit pending to invalidate virtually all absentee ballots across the state.

The court action, which would put Smith back on top if successful, is set for a hearing Nov. 30 in Orange County Superior Court. Smith also is considering an unprecedented statewide recount.

State election supervisors say they expect no further changes in their vote count until the final results are officially certified on Dec. 15.

Approximately 50,000 absentee ballots remain to be counted in counties across the state, they say. But even Smith’s top aides acknowledge that Lungren still will be ahead after those votes are tabulated.

Unofficial totals released Tuesday showed Lungren with 3,384,590 votes--46.8%--and Smith with 3,354,941--46.4%. Libertarian candidate Paul N. Gautreau received 254,605 votes and Peace and Freedom Party candidate Robert J. Evans received 240,964 votes.

In his pending lawsuit, the San Francisco district attorney charges that absentee ballots were counted without adequate anti-fraud safeguards.