KERN COUNTY, Calif. (KERO) — Brian Smith, a candidate for Kern County Board of Supervisors District 3, announced on social media that he is conceding the race to his opponent, Jeff Flores.
Smith made the announcement just before 6 p.m. on Monday, November 21st on his Facebook page, saying that "...tonight's election update increased Jeff Flores' lead over me. I called and congratulated him. Thank you to everyone who supported and helped me."
Flores holds about 53 percent of the vote, with Smith at 47 percent. Flores leads his opponent by nearly 2,000 votes.
23ABC caught up with Jeff Flores after Smith's announcement.
"It is one of the highest honors of my life to know that I've been elected as Kern County Supervisor for the Third District and I am totally grateful for the support of voters and this night," said Flores. "We ran a tough campaign and we worked very hard to speak to the electorate for the Third District to make the case that I have the experience and the expertise to hit the ground running on the issues that are important to the people of the Third District and today we saw the results of that hard work. And it was a tough election, a hard-fought election, and I also want to thank Brian Smith, who ran a great campaign. He was a very worthy opponent and he worked very hard."
23ABC also reached out to Brian Smith for comment, but he has not responded.