Katie Valenzuela Declares Victory Over Councilman Steve Hansen In Sacramento City Council Race

SACRAMENTO (CBS13) — Updated election results have been released in Sacramento and it appears longtime city councilmember Steve Hansen has lost his bid for a third term.

Hansen has represented the Land Park and Central City neighborhoods since 2012, but on Tuesday, his challenger, community organizer Katie Valenzuela, declared victory in the race.

The election results are not final yet, but new numbers sow Valenzuela ahead with 53% of the votes, and Hansen trailing by more than 900 votes. There are approximately 7,000 votes that still need to be counted.

On Tuesday Hansen released a statement saying it seems like he will "come up short in the race," blaming the negative campaigning for swaying voters.

In a Facebook post, Valenzuela wrote, "I am thrilled to have been selected by the residents of District 4 to represent them on City Council. We ran a grassroots, people-powered campaign that I'm incredibly proud of, and much of the credit for this win goes to the volunteers and supporters who worked so hard for the last 11 months."

The winner will be sworn into office in December.