Betsy Butler Poised to Win California's 53rd AD Democratic Nomination

In a race marked by hundreds of thousands of dollars of "independent expenditures" by anti-consumer attorney forces (big corps, big insurance) aimed at stopping non-profit development director Betsy Butler from gaining the Democratic nomination (and, later, for securing the nomination for James Lau), Butler is poised to burst through that opposition and claim the Democratic nomination in California's 53rd Assembly District.

With nearly 55 percent of the vote counted in this eight-way race, Butler has steadily expanded her lead over Lau and the others as ballots cast on election day are added to the earlier tabulated vote-by-mail ballots. Butler has collected 26.2 percent of the votes cast, while Lau stands at 18.5 percent. Manhattan Beach Mayor Mitch Ward holds 14.8 of the vote, while Deputy City Attorney Nick Karno has moved up to 13.9% of ballots cast. Attorney Kate Anderson, a Mar Vista Community Council member trails the pack of double-digit contenders with 12.1 percent of the vote.

Peter Thottam. Edgar Saenz and Diane Wallace all hover around five percent of the vote.

Harman Defeats Winograd in 36th CD (CA); Butler, Lau Lead Pack in 53rd AD (CA) in Early Returns

Congresswoman Jane Harman (D - Venice) took an early 30% lead over her opponent, Marcy Winograd, in initial returns. With just over 8,500 votes counted, Harman had 65% of the vote to Winograd's 35%.

In the heavily contested 53rd Assembly District Democratic primary, with absentee plus 4.7 percent of precincts reporting, Betsy Butler had 24.3% of the vote (1,522 votes), followed by James Lau, with 21.5% (1,347 votes), and Mitch Ward at 18.2% (1,137 votes). Following behind in early returns were Nick Karno (12.2%), Kate Anderson (10.3%), with three others below 5 percent.

It is unknown which precincts were reporting; early returns are subject to major change.