CALIFORNIA AG CANDIDATE COOLEY VOWS TO COUNT EVERY BALLOT

UPDATE: 11/16/2010 It looks to us like Cooley is sunk, although the fat lady has yet to sing. (Let's just say she is warming up.)

However, in view Los Angeles County Registrar of Voters Dean Logan's checkered recent past (quietly resigning as Registrar in Kings County, Washington to take the job in LA--after a voting scandal that included some precincts where there were more ballots that voters, many presents with missing ballots, provisional ballots not checked at all, voters invited in to "re-register" to validate invalid voter registrations, 130 ex-felons being allowed to vote, and may other irregularities in a very close state-wide election where the "winner" "won" by 300 votes--Steve Cooley's complaints in LA seem like déjà vu all over again.

Link: http://www.seattlepi.com/local/273692_logan13.html




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We just received this press release from the Steve Cooley for California Attorney General Campaign, which is self-explanatory:

A Statement from: Kevin Spillane - Senior Consultant, Steve Cooley for Attorney General Campaign:

“With the counties completing their semi-official returns, Steve Cooley trails Kamala Harris by 14,838 votes – two-tenths of a percentage point. There are over 1 million provisional and absentee ballots yet to be counted.”

“The race for Attorney General will not be decided for at least another couple of weeks, and potentially could go until the official Certification of Vote deadline on December 3."

“We will continue to monitor the situation. The only thing we are certain of is that the final outcome will be close. We are grateful for all the good wishes of our supporters and will keep you updated.”

Our only comment: As we said during the aftermath of the controversy surrounding the Bush vs. Gore election in 2000: Let the votes be counted!

Until then, Kamala, it may be a tad premature to measure the drapes in the Attorney General’s Office. Ha!

--Blogonaut

Related:

Attorney general race hangs in the balance as 2 million votes remain uncounted (LA Times 11/4/2010)

Kamala Harris Declares Victory In CA Attorney General Race‎ - The San Francisco Appeal

California attorney general's race still too close to call - The San Jose Mercury News

STEVE COOLEY LEADS SF DA HARRIS IN AG RACE, NEW POLL SAYS

Embattled San Francisco District Attorney Kamala Harris, whose quest for the job of California’s top prosecutor has been plagued by her opposition to the death penalty for cop killers and a subpar trial conviction rate now has something else standing in her path to the Attorney General’s Office: A new poll, giving her Republican opponent Steve Cooley a clear lead in the race.

A separate, earlier poll gave Cooley, the Republican Los Angeles County District Attorney, a small marginal lead over Harris, the Democratic District Attorney for San Francisco County.

The Field Poll had Cooley ahead of Harris by three percent, with Cooley at 37 percent and Harris at 34 percent.

But second poll conducted by Hill Research Associates July 10-12 gives Cooley a seven percent lead. The results showed Cooley with 41 percent and Harris with 34 percent, and also projected Cooley as the leader in all media markets except San Francisco.

The death penalty remains a key point of contrast between the candidates, with Cooley for and Harris opposed. Over 70 percent of Calif. voters continue to support the death penalty, which Harris has said she is personally against, and which she has consistantly refused to seek when it was up to her as San Francisco District Attorney--even for cop killers.

In 2009, Harris came under fire when her office decided not to seek the death penalty for triple-murderer and illegal alien Edwin Ramos, who shot three men, a father and his two sons, to death. Harris was also criticized in 2004 for refusing to seek the death penalty in the killing of a 29-year-old San Francisco police officer by a gang member.

The feeling in the law enforcement community is that cop killers are among the most dangerous of offenders, and taking the death penalty off of the table for cop killers endangers officer’s lives.

Harris has also come under fire for having the worst trial conviction rate in the state, with an accused murder in San Francisco having a 50% chance of acquittal if he decides to make Harris’ office prove the case at trial.

However, Harris has strong support from the DNC, listing $636,603 cash on hand with Cooley reporting just $222,729 as of May 22, 2010. So don't count the anti-death penalty conviction rate challanged SF DA out of the race just yet.