Election Day Update – Daucher far ahead!

The big news this evening is that Republican Assemblywoman Lynn Daucher is totally trouncing Democrat Supervisor Lou Correa in the absentee voting – by a margin of 58.5% to 41.5%, in the contest for the 34th State Senate District. Tan Nguyen is just over 2,000 votes behind Loretta Sanchez, in their battle for the 47th Congressional District, with 43.5% of the absentee votes. In the 69th Assembly District, Ryan Williams is about a thousand votes behind Santa Ana City Councilman Jose Solorio, with 44.5% of the vote thus far.

In Santa Ana, the early returns are not good news for Santa Ana Mayor Miguel Pulido – while he is winning, his Republican opponent, Thomas Gordon, has just under 30% of the vote – without raising a dime. Even worse for Emperor Pulido, his puppets are having their strings cut by the absentee voters – only one of them, David Benavides, is winning, in Ward 4, where he is beating fellow Democrat Nelida Yanez with over 65% of the absentee votes. In Ward 2, Republican Evangeline Gawronski is leading three Latino Democrats with 35% of the vote, as I predicted would happen. Pulido’s Ward 2 puppet, Tino Rivera, is lagging in third place with only 20% of the vote. Sorry Bertha! Things are considerably tighter in Ward 6, where Santa Ana School Board Member Sal Tinajero is leading with 39% of the vote over Pulido puppet Jennifer Villasenor, who is just behind him with 38% of the vote. Republican George Collins is at 23% – and it looks like he will cost Villasenor the victory – as I foretold. Net result – Pulido is headed for a tough two years with a council that will not automatically bow to him. Yes!

Meanwhile in the SAUSD race it looks like a “Return to Incumbents” as challenger Cecilia Aguinaga is lagging behind incumbents John Palacio and Audrey Noji with only 24% of the vote. She might do better in the later votes as the early voting favors Republicans – and they may have gone with Noji.

In other county races Pat Bates looks like she will beat Cassie DeYoung for the fifth supervisorial district. Looks like that last minute endorsement by the OC GOP did the trick. Didn’t Tim Whitacre oppose that endorsement?

In Costa Mesa, the news is not good for moderates, as Mayor Alan Mansoor and his sidekick Wendy Leece are in the lead over the “Return to Reason” ticket. Let’s see what happens when the subsequent votes are counted.

Prop. 85 is leading in the OC, but my colleague Claudio Gallegos tells me that it is going down to defeat statewide. However Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger apparently did not need Matt Cunningham and Tim Whitacre’s votes – he is absolutely terminating Phil Angelides. He said he would be back!

More updates later tonight…

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"Admin" is just editors Vern Nelson, Greg Diamond, or Ryan Cantor sharing something that they mostly didn't write themselves, but think you should see. Before December 2010, "Admin" may have been former blog owner Art Pedroza.