The March 5 Primary Election has come and passed, but it will take some time before all results become conclusive.

However, several races can be called despite only receiving a turnout of 28.7 percent of the potential ballots that could be cast. While many of these races were quickly decided, others with more conversations surrounding them still look tight.

Here is a brief look at the state of elections going into the first weekend following Super Tuesday.

(Results are as of Thursday, March 14)

As expected, National Elections are two-person races

As the field for the Presidential Election in November becomes as thin as it has ever been in March, voters on both sides established what was already expected. Donald Trump was the clear victor in the GOP race, holding an over 77 percent share of the vote in L.A. County, holding an insurmountable lead over his competition.

Trump had no real competitors; former US Ambassador Nikki Haley, who announced that she was dropping out of the race Wednesday, currently has the second-highest share of votes with just over 18 percent of the vote.

On the other end of the aisle, President Joe Biden currently has an even more lopsided lead over token competition, with 85.1 percent of the votes, putting him nearly 80 points over his next Democratic competitor, Marianne Williamson.

One of the two seats in the U.S. Senate represented by Californians was also up for grabs, and the two favorite candidates from each political party are headed to a runoff — with Democrat Adam Schiff leading Republican Steve Garvey by a 12.6-point margin. Westside Voice’s endorsed Democratic candidate, Representative Katie Porter, trails with only 15.7 percent of the vote (to Schiff’s 37 percent)

L.A. County: Villanueva loses again, Mitchell Re-elected, and a D.A.’s Race Headed for a Runoff

L.A. County’s Board of Supervisors remained entirely unchanged despite three seats being up for grabs this voting season, but all three incumbents secured early and decisive victories.

“Alex Villanueva is now a two-time loser,” Fourth District Supervisor Incumbent Janice Hahn said in a statement declaring victory with a 29-point lead on the former L.A. County Sheriff. Hahn will also avoid a runoff if she maintains her current 57.8 percent vote share. 

Second District Supervisor Holly Mitchell — whose district includes most of West Los Angeles — will also continue her tenure, garnering almost 68.5 percent of the votes for the position. 

In one of the more controversial contests for Los Angeles County District Attorney, incumbent George Gascon — whose tenure has been bombarded with criticism from all political sides — holds a 6.5-point lead over challenger Nathan Hochman. Gascon is simply looking to secure a place in a runoff, leading the race with 25.2 percent of the vote. Hochman sits at about 16 percent.

The City of Los Angeles sees few early changes, but several races headed to a runoff

As one might expect, the votes for the city council races with little controversy behind them have all but been officially decided, but some of the most talked about races are still going.

The single city measure on this ballot — Measure HLA — looks like it is on the path toward passing. With a majority of the votes having been cast, the measure is on the path to success with over 65.5 percent of the votes tallied being in favor of the measure.

Measure HLA will require the city of Los Angeles to implement parts of its Mobility Plan 2035 — a vision for improving public transportation infrastructure across the city adopted in 2016 — for every 1/8th mile of city-owned right of way for which it makes capital improvements.

Opponents of the Measure included Westside Councilmember Traci Park and LA County Firefighters, who argued that the Measure would slow down emergency vehicles.

Heather Hutt is also in a strong position for her first election as the appointed incumbent in the 10th Council District, which includes portions of the Westside, with a 14.7-point lead over Grace Yoo that has gradually grown as more votes have been counted. But with Hutt well below 50 percent, they are headed for a runoff.

A couple of other city council seats are still undecided. Fourth District incumbent Nithya Raman, who represents portions of Hollywood, has jumped to 50.6 percent of the vote, and if she can stay above 50 percent, would avoid a runoff against challenger Ethan Weaver. There has been a concerted effort to get Raman out of office led by law-enforcement unions and by a PAC notably supported by real estate firm Douglas Emmett, who are looking to conduct one of the largest mass evictions in Los Angeles history at Barrington Plaza.

The other notable council incumbent is on even rockier footing, but it’s for good reason. 14th District’s incumbent Kevin De Leon was caught in a racist recording scandal where he compared former council member Mike Bonin’s child to a handbag and mockingly called Bonin “the fourth black councilmember.”

Despite the calls for resignation that have persisted and come from as high as President Joe Biden, De Leon is still alive for a runoff but is currently down to Ysabel J. Jurado 24.3 percent to 23.4 percent. With other “Never De Leon” candidates gaining a decent percentage of the vote, the councilmember’s chances in November will be dicey.

Other Results from Westside Cities

The two seats for the Beverly Hills City Council are expected to be won by Cultural Heritage Commissioner Craig Corman and Beverly Hills Unified School District School Board Member Mary Wells, who have 23.7 percent and 19.4 percent of the vote respectively. Both Mayor Julian Gold and Councilmember Lili Bosse were term-limited from running for re-election.

Culver City’s Measure E, which will authorize bonds to improve school classrooms, has passed with nearly 62 percent of voters saying yes. Among supporters listed on Yes on E documents is Culver City councilmember Dan O’Brien, who is part of a more conservative council majority that progressive figures in the city have criticized.

When will the votes be finalized?

There will be 10 more count updates released Monday through Friday for the next two weeks, released between 4:00 p.m. and 5:00 p.m. each day. The ballot counting process happens between 10:00 a.m. and 2:00 p.m. each day and can be viewed by the public at the Ballot Processing Center, 13401 Crossroads Parkway North in Industry.

Election results are set to be certified following the final count release on March 29.

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