Daucher’s advantage over Correa is cut to 147 votes

Democratic state Senate candidate Lou Correa cut Republican Lynn Daucher’s lead to 147 votes as counting continued Wednesday to determine the winner of the central Orange County seat.

A Republican spoiler candidate funded by Democrats could end up making the difference in the race.

Otto Bade, a Santa Ana businessman who launched a write-in campaign in the last days of the election as a conservative alternative to the moderate Daucher, has received 886 votes. Observers think that his vote count will be greater than the margin that ultimately separates Correa and Daucher.

With less than 3,000 absentee and provisional ballots left to count, Daucher led with 53,019 votes, or 49.7%, compared to 52,872, or 49.5%, for Correa.

An independent committee affiliated with Democrats spent more than $90,000 on Bade’s phone banks and mailers. The group, Californians United, spent more than $220,000 to support Correa.

Bade did not respond to a message left on his cellphone Wednesday evening.

Republicans were outraged at the result and said they would seek an investigation to determine if election fraud had occurred, regardless of who wins.

“It is clearly the ultimate dirty trick,” said Senate Republican Leader Dick Ackerman of Irvine.

christian.berthelsen@

latimes.com