LOS ANGELES (CNS) — The progressive candidate Ysabel Jurado, who had an advantage over the current Kevin de León for the District 14 seat on the Los Angeles City Councildeclared victory Thursday and thanked his fans and the community for the victory.

According to partial results released Thursday, Jurado led with 33,350 votes, or about 55.78% of the votes, while de León received 26,442 votes, or about 44.22% of the votes. The Los Angeles County Recorder-Recorder/Clerk will continue counting ballots and the next update is scheduled for 4 pm Friday.

It was unclear how many ballots remain to be counted in the district. Mail-in ballots postmarked by Election Day will also be accepted for up to one week.

“…it was the community that came together to knock on more than 83,000 doors; it was the community that mobilized in an army of more than a thousand volunteers; it was the community that wrote and sent more than 8,000 postcards; it was the community that helped develop each and every one of our policies; it was the community that registered more than 300 abandoned voters on Skid Row to vote and it was the community that made their voices loud and clear,” Jurado said in a statement; statement.

“Thank you to all the people who joined this campaign, who believed in this vision and who fought for this victory. We are moving forward together and paving a path for the rest of the nation,” he added.

A representative for De León did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

The two candidates were vying to represent a district that includes downtown Los Angeles, Boyle Heights, Lincoln Heights, El Sereno and northeast Los Angeles.

De León had to overcome the political damage suffered when he was heard participating in a secretly recorded 2021 conversation in which crude and racist language was used.

At his election night meeting, the councilman noted that he faced challenges after the leaked recording and refused to resign, as many had asked him to do.

“It was too much if our district had no representation, so my staff and I rolled up our sleeves and dug deep to provide the services, programs and funding we deserve here in CD 14, and even in the face of intense and intense scrutiny and pressure. relentless, we don’t flinch,” said de León. “We stayed strong for our community.”