Document:California Press Release 28 November 2000 One More Election Night Win
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- ELECTION 2000 UPDATE
- FROM THE LIBERTARIAN PARTY OF CALIFORNIA
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One More Election Night Win
Libertarian Kate O'Brien of Simi Valley has apparently become the fifteenth Libertarian candidate elected to office from California this year -- by a margin of three votes.
With the final tally to be certified within a few days, O'Brien looks to have captured the third and final open spot on the Rancho Simi Recreation and Park District in Ventura County, besting rival Jim Dantona by three votes, 17,310 (18.1%) to 17,307 (18.1%). According to a Ventura County elections official, all ballots have been counted and those numbers will not change when they are certified.
Less than a week after the election, O'Brien had pulled to within eight votes of Dantona. Some days later Dantona's lead widened to fourteen. But once all absentee and provisional ballots were counted, O'Brien sneaked past Dantona in the closest non-partisan race for any California Libertarian in recent memory.
In 1998, Moreno Valley Mayor Pro Tem Bonnie Flickinger also won a close race for reelection by a margin of 23 votes after provisional and absentee ballots were counted. On election night Flickinger was behind by seven votes.
O'Brien is the eighth Libertarian to win a contested election on November 7. Six other Libertarians were elected in uncontested races and one Libertarian, Tom Tryon, was reelected to a fifth term on the Calaveras County Board of Supervisors in March.