Ryan Davis widens lead over Diane Ortiz in closely watched Yolo County judge race
Ryan Davis maintained a narrow lead over Deputy District Attorney Diane Ortiz in the race for Yolo Superior Court judge, according to updated election results released Friday.
Davis held 50.9% of the vote and led Ortiz by 1.9 percentage points.
Davis’ lead has grown since the last results update. With roughly 1,390 ballots still outstanding, the race remained unsettled, though Ortiz would need to win more than three-quarters of the remaining ballots to overtake him in a contest that has remained neck-and-neck.
Davis is a former public defender, deputy attorney general and Sacramento County court commissioner. He was endorsed by the Yolo County Democratic Party, Yolo County Sheriff Tom Lopez and all five city council members in both Woodland and Davis.
Davis held a 1.1-percentage-point lead after Tuesday’s results update, largely due to his strong performance in Davis. Ortiz won more votes in Woodland and the county’s rural areas, according to precinct-level results.
Before becoming a Yolo County prosecutor, Ortiz worked in internal affairs and as a legislative analyst for the California Highway Patrol. She won endorsements from police unions in Winters, Davis, Woodland and West Sacramento, as well as the Yolo County Deputy Sheriffs’ Association. She was also endorsed by retiring Judge Janene Beronio, whose departure created the vacancy.
Voter turnout was higher than expected in Yolo County. Ballots also arrived later than usual, with many voters waiting until the last minute to cast ballots in the governor’s race.
Yolo County has about 1,000 ballots left to count and about 350 signature-cure ballots outstanding. The next ballot count update will be released by 4 p.m. Tuesday. The county has until July 2 to certify election results.
