Orange County First District supervisor sworn in; runner-up demands recount

SANTA ANA, Calif. (KABC) -- A newly elected Orange County supervisor was sworn in Tuesday, but the tight contest to represent the First Supervisorial District may not be over yet. The runner-up candidate is demanding a recount.

After seven weeks of a highly contentious race, Andrew Do was sworn in to the Orange County Board of Supervisors. He will represent the First District, replacing Janet Nguyen, who was elected to state Senate.

"It's been a sprint pretty much every day for the last couple of months, but it's here," Do said.

The special election became a tight contest between Do and former state Sen. Lou Correa. Do won by 43 votes.

The Orange County Registrar's Office confirmed that Correa has formally asked for a recount Monday night. Correa's attorney did not respond to multiple requests for comment.

"Both campaigns will be able to be represented at that recount. We'll go through each and every ballot that they want to look at. Every single piece of material. It's wide open," said Neal Kelley with the Orange county Registrar of Voters.

The request did not stop Do from taking his seat during Tuesday's supervisor meeting. His election gives the board its first Asian majority in history.

Do said he's not worried about the recount.

"The difference of 43 votes may seem like it's a very small and insignificant number, but it is really difficult to overturn the 43 ballots," Do said.

Kelley certified the results during Tuesday's meeting. He said a recount will begin Monday, but he's sure not much will change.

"I support it for any candidate because it gives them confidence in how those votes were tallied and counted, but in terms of the process being used here in Orange County, I'm very confident," Kelley said.

The registrar said the recount could take 8 to 10 days and could cost Correa about $20,000.