Palm Springs City Councilmember Christy Holstege will not seek a recount in her race for State Assembly in the 47th District, despite being separated from her opponent by only 85 votes in the final count.
Democrat Holstege announced the news Monday morning in an email to supporters, saying she was proud of the support she received, but that she had called Republican Greg Wallis to offer congratulations and hoped that “we can work together these next two years to deliver measurable results for our communities.”
Just how close was it? Elections records show that if the final margin of .050% holds it would be the second-closest State Assembly race in history. Only the 1980 race in Assembly District 26 was closer. In that race, the final margin was .041%. A 1916 race in the State Senate holds the all-time record for a state-level race. In that race, the candidates were separated by just two votes.
“If anybody ever tells you their vote doesn’t count, tell them about this Assembly race that was decided by just 85 votes,” Holstege wrote. “Our democracy depends on everyone participating and voting like their rights and their futures depend on it.”
Assembly District 47 is comprised of portions of both Riverside and San Bernardino counties. While Riverside County finished counting its votes two weeks ago, it wasn’t until last week that San Bernardino County finished. At the time, Holstege said her camp would evaluate next steps. On Monday, that next step was to concede. acknowledging Wallis had won, 84,752 to 84,667.
“When I announced this campaign, we set out to do something hard, something that had never been done before, flipping this longtime Republican seat blue for the very first time,” said Holstege. “Few thought that a Democrat could win this seat in 2022. But our people-powered movement proved them wrong – we ultimately came closer to flipping this district than has ever been achieved before.”
Holstege, a former Palm Springs mayor, is midway through her second term as the City Council representative for District 4. She said Monday she intends to see that term through.
“I will continue working to make sure our city and our region meet the challenges of the moment, and will continue to deliver results for our communities as a Palm Springs Councilmember,” she said.
