Republican challenger David Valadao’s lead over Democratic Rep. TJ Cox has slipped after updates from three counties in the 21st Congressional District.
However, results from Kings County will be delayed because of a COVID-19.
As of Tuesday afternoon, Valadao (R-Hanford) leads Cox (D-Fresno) by 4,041 votes, or 51.4% to 48.6%. Although the vote percentages between the two is nearly the same as it was prior to updates in the last 24 hours, Valadao’s lead has been trimmed from the 4,570 vote advantage he had on Monday morning.
| Congress 21 |
Fresno |
Tulare |
Kings |
Kern |
TOTAL |
Lead |
Percentage |
| Cox (D) |
27,528 |
2,532 |
15,811 |
22,286 |
68,157 |
|
48.6% |
| Valadao (R) |
29,212 |
2,534 |
25,906 |
14,546 |
72,198 |
4,041 |
51.4% |
| Last reported |
Tu, 1:45 p.m. |
M, 5:26 p.m. |
F, 2:53 p.m. |
Tu, 1:11 p.m. |
|
|
|
| Estimated remainder in CD 21 |
815 |
420 |
1,529 |
34,500 |
|
|
|
Kings County Reports Delay
Kings County has an estimated 1,529 ballots remaining to be counted. However, canvassing has been suspended until Saturday because of COVID-19.
“The Kings County Elections Department will be temporarily closed due to a COVID-19 exposure. As a precautionary measure, all Election canvass operations will cease effective immediately. The canvass activities will resume on Saturday, November 21, 2020 at 8:00 AM and will continue until the canvass is completed,” the county election website says.
Kings County has been Valadao’s strongest, garnering 62.1% of the votes so far.
Cox Gains in Kern, Tulare; Valadao Gains in Fresno
Kern County reported 5,552 new votes on Tuesday afternoon, breaking 55.9% in Cox’s favor for a net gain of 660.
| Kern County |
New Votes |
For Cox |
For Valadao |
Difference |
|
5,552 |
3,106 |
2,446 |
660 for Cox |
|
|
55.9% |
44.1% |
|
Fresno County added 6,079 votes to their count on Tuesday afternoon, breaking 51.2% for Valadao for a net gain of 143 votes.
| Fresno County |
New Votes |
For Cox |
For Valadao |
Difference |
|
6,079 |
2,968 |
3,111 |
143 for Valadao |
Tulare County counted 528 additional votes, breaking 51.1% for Cox, or a net gain of 12. He now leads in that county by two votes.
| Tulare County |
New Votes |
For Cox |
For Valadao |
Difference |
|
528 |
270 |
258 |
12 for Cox |
|
|
51.1% |
48.9% |
|
Each county must certify vote totals by Dec. 3.
Cox Hosting “Ballot Cure” Event
The Fresno County Democratic Party announced it will engage in a “ballot cure canvass” this Saturday in Selma. There will also be similar event in Bakersfield on Sunday.
Ballots with signature that don’t match voter registration files or if a voter forgot to sign the ballot altogether, have until Dec. 1 to contact a county election office to fix the problem.
Cox’s campaign did not have an immediate answer when asked what exactly this weekend’s event entails.
[Update, 11/10/2020 4 p.m.: the estimated remaining votes in Fresno County has been revised to 815 based on the reported remainder of total votes in the county.]
