Duffield takes lead over Stoaks in Newport council race

Newport Beach Mayor Marshall “Duffy” Duffield edged ahead of challenger Tim Stoaks on Tuesday in their race for the District 3 seat on the City Council, though the two are almost in a dead heat after three weeks of counting votes.

As of Tuesday evening, Duffield had a 22-vote advantage, overtaking Stoaks after cutting into his lead in vote counts over the past few days, according to the Orange County registrar of voters office. On Monday, Stoaks’ lead had dwindled to 24 votes.

Tuesday’s count showed Duffield with 18,348 votes and Stoaks with 18,326, with 17,278 ballots still left to count countywide, the registrar’s office said.

Stoaks had been in front since Election Day on Nov. 6, holding advantages of about 250 to 350 votes after most daily updates. The next update is scheduled for 5 p.m. Wednesday.

The registrar’s office has until Dec. 6 to complete its counts.

The three other Newport council races had clear winners, with incumbents Diane Dixon and Kevin Muldoon holding onto their seats in Districts 1 and 4, respectively, and challenger Joy Brenner displacing incumbent Scott Peotter in District 6.

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