Free Republic

Democrat Lou Correa emerged Monday as the undisputed winner of the intensely fought 34th state Senate District race, leading Republican Lynn Daucher by 1,302 votes with a handful of additional ballots remaining. Daucher acknowledged that Correa had won, while Correa said he will wait until the final ballot is counted before declaring victory. "I respect every voter – it's the respectful thing to do," said the county supervisor and former Assemblyman. The race attracted attention – and campaign dollars – from throughout the state. It was the only Senate seat up for grabs between the two parties. More than $7...

Democrat grabs slim lead as phone-call accusations fly Republican lawyers are investigating potential campaign fraud in the hotly contested 34th state Senate District race after Friday's ballot count pushed the Democratic candidate ahead by 783 votes. Senate Republican leader Dick Ackerman said he suspects Democrats working on Lou Correa's campaign may have coordinated with an independent campaign committee to siphon off conservative Republican votes from GOP candidate Lynn Daucher. Correa flatly denies the allegation, saying, "I had nothing to do with it." Ackerman says party attorneys also are investigating who funded last-minute campaign phone calls that attacked Daucher, including one...

All of the melodrama of the unfinished counting aside, there is a lot hanging in the outcome of this race, and it all has to do with the number of Republicans versus Democrats in the California State Senate. If Lynn Daucher is victorious, it will mean that instead of 15 Republicans and 25 Democrats, there will be 16 Republicans. While this seems like a minor difference -- trust me, it is not. The dynamics of the legislature are such that the leverage that Republicans have in the process (especially when the Governor has taken to embracing liberal positions on key...