After declaring victory Wednesday with a lead of 1246 votes, Santa Monica Mayor Richard Bloom has further increased his lead in the race for the 50th Assembly District race by 1536 votes.
As of latest reported counted Friday, Nov. 30 at 7:30 p.m., Bloom leads incumbent Betsy Butler 92,730 votes to 91,194 votes (50.4 percent to 49.6 percent).
On Wednesday, Bloom told supporters he expected to be sworn in by State Supreme Court Chief Justice Tani G. Cantil-Sakauye on Monday, Dec. 3 in the State Capitol.
“I want to thank all my supporters, contributors, staff, volunteers and my family for their unwavering support,” Bloom said.
The outcome of the 50th Assembly District race has taken weeks to determine because so many of the votes cast in Los Angeles County were submitted as labor-intensive mail-in and provisional ballots that need to be verified before they can be counted.
Of the 80 Assembly Districts in California, the 50th District has been the closest.
The day after the election he led Butler by 218 votes after approximately 138,000 ballots had been counted.
On Nov. 13, Bloom was still 218 votes ahead after approximately 151,000 ballots had been counted.
On Nov. 16, Bloom’s lead increased to 291 votes after approximately 161,000 ballots had been counted.
On Nov. 21, Bloom’s lead decreased to 79 votes after approximately 171,000 ballots had been counted.
On Nov. 26, Bloom increased his margin to 888 votes after approximately 178,500 ballots had been counted.
On Nov. 28, Bloom declared victory after his margin increased to 1246 votes after approximately 182,000 ballots had been counted.
“After two years of campaigning in one of the most closely watched elections in the State of California, I just learned that the results of the latest vote count are such that we believe I am assured to be sworn in as the next representative for the 50th Assembly District,” Bloom said in a message to his supporters Wednesday afternoon.
Both Bloom and Butler are democrats.
Butler, who is yet to concede defeat, has served the 53rd Assembly District since assuming office Dec. 6, 2010, which encompassed parts of Los Angeles and the South Bay.
However, under the 2011 redistricting lines, the 53rd Assembly District changed significantly and Butler chose to run for re-election in the open 50th Assembly District that represents Agoura Hills, Beverly Hills, Hollywood, Malibu, Santa Monica, Pacific Palisades, Topanga, West Hollywood, and Westlake Village.
