Assembly Election Won by 5-Vote Margin
Sausalito consultant Russ Weiner won California’s closest legislative race in 80 years--a five-vote victory.
Final returns Thursday from the June 2 Republican primary in the 6th Assembly District showed Weiner defeated San Anselmo businessman Ed Sullivan by 13,963 to 13,958 votes. The district includes Marin and Sonoma counties.
He will face incumbent Democrat Kerry Mazzoni of Novato in the Nov. 3 general election.
Sullivan said he will not seek a recount.
Weiner’s victory margin was the closest since Democrat William Shearer defeated Republican Ernest Elfendahl by three votes in 1918 to win a state Senate seat representing Lassen, Modoc, Shasta and Siskiyou counties.
In another close race, Los Angeles City Councilman Richard Alarcon defeated former Assemblyman Richard Katz by 31 votes for the Democratic nomination for an open Los Angeles County state Senate seat. Katz said he probably will seek a recount.
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