Betty Yee poised to advance in controller race
Reporting from Sacramento — In the hotly contested race for controller, Board of Equalization member Betty Yee appears to have edged out Assemblyman John A. Pérez for the second spot on the November ballot, according to voting results released Monday evening.
Unless the results are successfully challenged, Yee will face off in the general election with Republican Fresno Mayor Ashley Swearengin, who received the most votes in the primary.
“Betty Yee has won,” said Parke Skelton, a political consultant for the Bay Area Democrat. “We’re looking to move on to November.”
The race for controller, one of the state’s top financial positions, has been razor-close, and counting all the ballots has taken weeks. In a primary contest with more than 4 million ballots cast, the gap between Yee and Pérez will likely be only a few hundred votes.
Given the narrow margin, Pérez isn’t ready to throw in the towel before the results are certified.
Douglas Herman, a strategist for Pérez, a Democrat from Los Angeles, said there may still be more ballots left to count.
Follow @chrismegerian for more updates from Sacramento.
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