A Democrat incumbent has pulled slightly ahead with a razor-thin margin against her Republican opponent in the race for the newly redrawn California Assembly District 67 that straddles Los Angeles and Orange counties.
Assemblywoman Sharon Quirk-Silva (D-Fullerton) was leading with 51.5 percent of the vote, while school board member Soo Yoo was slightly behind at 48.5 percent as of 5 p.m. Nov. 13, according to the state’s unofficial results.
The district encompasses parts of southern Los Angeles County and northern Orange County, including the cities of Buena Park, Cypress, La Palma, and the West Anaheim neighborhood.
Results may change as Orange County election officials process the remaining ballots.
Quirk-Silva, a teacher, was first elected to the Assembly for District 35 in 2012 and was reelected in 2016 before redistricting placed her in District 65. Before that, she served as Fullerton mayor and councilor from 2004–2012.
The candidate announced her slight lead on Twitter on Friday morning.
“For those counting votes in [Assembly District 67] I have 2 counties, looking at the Secretary of State site, shows combined numbers. I am now up 837 votes,” Quirk-Silva wrote on Nov. 11.
Her priorities are housing, homelessness, and education, she noted during her campaign.
The district has a majority of registered Democratic Party voters that outnumber Republicans by 17 percent.
However, her opponent, Yoo, said the situation’s changing.
“It’s been an uphill battle from day one, and it’s a miracle that I got this far,” Yoo told The Epoch Times Nov 11.
“People are seeking change … I feel that we are so close,” she said.
Yoo said she learned during her campaign, she’s realized many people are looking for hope.
“What is very significant about this race is that there is hope for a balance in California,” Yoo said. “There is hope. That’s the message.”
Yoo grew up in Los Angeles and earned degrees from the University of California–Irvine and Westminster Theological Seminary in Pennsylvania. Her parents are first-generation Korean immigrants, and she said on her campaign website she learned sacrifice, hard work, and the importance of faith from them.
She and her husband, a retired pastor, have four daughters.
Former Assembly District 72 candidate Benjamin Yu, who was defeated in this year’s primary election, wrote on social media he thought Yoo had a chance to get enough votes to win.
“Soo Yoo is one of the best non-incumbent candidates we have in Orange County this cycle. She competed in one of likely Democratic districts with multi-term incumbent Sharon Quirk-Silver,” Yu wrote.
He said that if Yoo wins the race, it would give people hope in turning over the state.
“With near[ly] 360K votes left to be counted in OC alone, she will possibly gain enough to cross the finish line. She gave us the faith of turning California red one step at a time. Please all, join together and pray for Soo Yoo,” he wrote early Friday morning.
Quirk-Silva did not immediately return requests for comment.
