Ysabel Jurado will become the next Los Angeles City Councilmember for District 14, pulling a surprising upset against incumbent Kevin de León.
After widening the margin from early on, Jurado had more than 56% of the vote, compared to de León's 43% as of Friday afternoon.
Jurado declared victory Thursday evening in a statement, thanking her supporters.
"This win is not mine—it belongs to our community. It was the community that came together to knock over 83,000 doors; it was the community that mobilized into a thousand-plus army of volunteers; it was the community that wrote and sent over 8,000 postcards," Jurado said.
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Nearly 24 hours after Jurado called herself a winner, de León conceded in a statement Friday evening.
"While the results of this election did not go our way, I respect the decision of the voters and our democratic process. I am proud of what we’ve accomplished together," the incumbent said.
Jurado’s rise was already a big surprise during the March primary, when the first-time candidate received more support from constituents than de León and other better known candidates including Assmeblymembers MIguel Santiago and Wendy Carrillo.
De León, who fought off recalls attempts even after he was caught on tape, having a redistricting conversation behind the closed doors while using racist language, came short,
Jurado herself was caught on audio, saying the F-word while discussing police during a meeting with students at Cal State LA.
Jurado, who has the endorsement of the Democratic Socialists of America, seeks to cut the police budget while opposing Mayor Bass’ effort to return the Los Angeles Police Department to its previous staffing levels.
At one point, Jurado admitted to having signed a Democratic Socialists of America pledge to seek the abolishment of the LAPD.
