Incumbent Concedes to Harman in 36th

After more than a week of uncertainty and hopes for a boost from absentee ballots, Republican Rep. Steve Kuykendall on Thursday conceded his defeat by Democrat Jane Harman in the election for the South Bay’s 36th Congressional District seat.

“We’ve counted enough absentee ballots that it seems appropriate at this time to concede,” said Kuykendall in a telephone interview after returning from Washington to the Venice-to-San Pedro district.

The race was one of the state’s most hotly contested and most expensive, with expenditures topping $4 million. Harman previously served three terms in the seat before she stepped down in an unsuccessful run for governor in 1998.

On Thursday, both candidates said they looked forward to working together to ensure a smooth transition. Kuykendall will return to Congress after Thanksgiving for a lame-duck session.

“She and I have been friends for many years,” Kuykendall explained after he telephoned Harman on Thursday to make his concession. “This was a very tough campaign for both of us because of that friendship.”

Kuykendall expressed satisfaction with his work during his single term. He said that among the things he was most proud of was legislation that helped clean up contaminated parts of Marina del Rey’s coast and rebuilt some of the coastline in Redondo Beach.

During the campaign, Kuykendall, a former Rancho Palos Verdes city councilman and assemblyman, emphasized his deep roots in the district. He sought to portray Harman as an opportunist.

Kuykendall said he doesn’t know what his next step will be. “I’ve been in this district for 25 years. Clearly, this [area] is something that is important to me,” he said.

While he expressed disappointment at his loss, Kuykendall called the campaign the best he had ever run. “I don’t have any idea of what could have been the difference. When you have such a small margin, anything could have caused it,” he said of his defeat.

On Thursday, Harman, who lives on the Palos Verdes Peninsula, was back in Washington for congressional orientation. She began her career there nearly 30 years ago, as an aide to then-Sen. John Tunney.

In a telephone interview from Washington, Harman said she wished Kuykendall well and appreciated his offer to help hand off district matters, such as immigration and citizenship applications.

In the neighboring 38th District in the Long Beach, Lakewood and Downey area, Democratic nurse practitioner and attorney Gerrie Schipske refused to concede defeat.

She pointed out that Kuykendall was nearly 4,000 votes behind Harman, while she trails incumbent Republican Rep. Steve Horn by little more than 2,000. Schipske said many votes for her are likely to be found when provisional votes are tallied in the next few days.

Provisional voters are those whose names are not found on the registrar’s lists at the voting booth but are allowed to vote provisionally.