Race For Congressional District 26 Still Too Close To Call

OXNARD (CBSLA.com) — Signatures are being verified and ballots counted Wednesday in the race between Democratic incumbent Julia Brownley and Republican Assemblyman Jeff Gorell for the 26th Congressional District.

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"What we're working on today are the vote by-mail ballots that came to the polling places yesterday, the vote by-mail ballots that we didn't process afternoon yesterday, and the ones that we picked up in Goleta in Santa Clarita," said Mark Lunn, Ventura County Clerk and Recorder.

"We have a pretty close race," Lunn told KCAL9's Amy Johnson. "It's a very close race and so we have folks here from both campaigns that are looking at the numbers of votes left out there to get to make a determination as to what their next steps may or may not be."

Gorell challenged Brownley, who defeated a Republican just two years ago for the congressional seat.

"It's normally a pretty split district so this is not unusual to see that it's this close. You have two very popular people that are running for office so the results last night show that," Lunn said.

Last week, former President Bill Clinton joined Brownley as she campaigned against Gorell, a military veteran who served in Afghanistan.

Only about 600 votes currently separate the candidates, which has both camps keeping a close eye the counting.

"You watch to make sure that everything done. There is a verification process. We have a lot of trust in the integrity of the process. The integrity of the Clerk's office. They do a great job but we're just there to observe. Every vote counts. We want to make sure that every vote is counted," said Chris Collier of the Ventura County Republican Party. "If this isn't the tightest, it is one of the tightest races in the country right now for Congress."

The Ventura County Clerk and Recorder has 28 days to certify the election. Once certified, either camp may request a recount.