A difference of 180 votes by the end of election night separated the two candidates running to be Tustin’s next mayor – one of the closest races in Orange County this year.
As of 1:36 a.m. Wednesday, incumbent Mayor Austin Lumbard led with nearly 51% of the vote ahead of his opponent former Mayor Letitia Clark at about 49% of the vote.
There were over 15,600 votes counted so far in the race and there were still over 246,500 ballots to process throughout OC Wednesday morning.
When asked about the close contest, Clark said she believes Democrats waited until closer to election day to drop off their ballots and that vote center results typically favor Republican candidates.
She also said she remains hopeful and she ran a very different campaign than her opponent who she said used an AI voiceover in his campaign videos.
“We’re just hopeful that honesty and integrity and an amplification of community will win. We know that this could be a long count. We may not know the final count for at least a week, but we’re in it. We already have volunteers that are willing to help curate votes, so the campaign’s not over. We’re still still working because it’s that important and there’s that much on the line,” Clark said in a Wednesday phone interview.
After publication of this article, Lumbard said he was happy and confident the results would hold in his favor.
“There are a lot of ballots left to count, but we’re moving in the right direction. Tustin is fortunate to have quality candidates running, and I think I’m looking forward to getting back to work,” he said in a Wednesday phone interview.
Lumbard also defended his campaign strategy – saying his campaign reached out to voters and tried to meet them where they were, including online.
At one point during election night, eight votes separated the two candidates with Clark ahead before Lumbard eventually took the lead.
There are over 44,700 voters in Tustin with roughly 40% registered as Democrats, 27% as Republicans and 26% with no party preference.
Clark is endorsed by labor unions, the Democratic Party of OC and a host of prominent local Democratic elected officials.
Lumbard is backed by local public safety unions, the Republican Party of OC and a host of prominent local Republican elected officials.
The OC Firefighters Association spent over $70,000 on mailers to support Lumbard’s campaign while the Tustin police union’s political action committee spent $7,500 to support the incumbent Mayor, as of Oct. 28.
Tustin Police Support union’s political action committee also spent $6,250 to support Lumbard, as of Oct. 26.
The mayoral race in Tustin is not the only close race playing out in Orange County.
There are a couple of competitive races in Santa Ana where two progressive candidates are holding a small lead over two police union backed candidates.
In Santa Ana’s Ward 4, immigrant advocate Sandra De Anda was in the lead with about 53% of the votes ahead of opponent and current Councilman Phil Bacerra who had about 47% of the vote – a difference of 533 votes.
In Ward 6, Planning Commission Chair and Chispa Executive Director Isuri Ramos was in the lead with about 53% of the votes ahead of opponent and attorney Giovanni Chavez who had about 47% of the vote – a difference of 379 votes.
Hosam Elattar is a Voice of OC reporter. Contact him at helattar@voiceofoc.org.
