Assembly candidate Mia Bonta says she has enough of a lead to declare victory in a special election to replace her husband in the California Assembly, reports the East Bay Times.
Bonta has garnered 56.8% of the vote to Janani Ramachandran‘s 43.1% out of 77,000 ballots.
“I am honored and grateful that you have put your trust in me to represent our community in Sacramento,” Bonta said in a statement issued Thursday evening.
If ultimately declared the winner, Bonta would replace her husband Rob, the first Filipino American to become California State Attorney General after his appointment earlier this year by Gov Gavin Newsom.
According to the American Kahani, Ramachandran is vying to become the first Indian American LGBTQ woman to serve in the California State Assembly.
Ramachandran acknowledged the long odds she faces, but has not yet conceded the race.
“While the window for our campaign has certainly narrowed, I am mindful of our commitment as Democrats to make sure every vote counts,” Ramachandran said to the San Francisco Chronicle. “To live up to that ideal we should count every vote before we make final declarations.”
Bonta currently sits as president of the Alameda Unified School District board and runs Oakland Promise which seeks to increase the number of college grads from Oakland. She is Argentine American.
Ramachandran serves on the California Commission on Asian and Pacific Islander American Affairs and described herself as an outsider running against the political establishment.
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Mia Bonta is not Argentine American. She is Puerto Rican African American