L.A. County Sheriff Alex Villanueva concedes in re-election bid

Los Angeles County Sheriff Alex Villanueva speaks at the graduation ceremony for Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department Academy Class 451 at East Los Angeles College amid the COVID-19 pandemic on August 21, 2020 in Monterey Park, California.
Los Angeles County Sheriff Alex Villanueva speaks at the graduation ceremony for Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department Academy Class 451 at East Los Angeles College amid the COVID-19 pandemic on August 21, 2020 in Monterey Park, California. Photo credit Mario Tama/Getty Images

LOS ANGELES (KNX) – Los Angeles County Sheriff Alex Villanueva conceded defeat in his re-election bid on Tuesday.

Former Long Beach police Chief Robert Luna will become the new sheriff.

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"I want to wish the incoming sheriff well," Villanueva said during Tuesday’s press conference. "I want him to succeed for a simple reason -- the safety of the community depends on him succeeding. The welfare of every single person in the department depends on him succeeding.”

Luna maintained a lead over Villanueva as the county continued to update the ballots. As of Monday, Luna had 987,730 votes, and Villanueva had 662,893 votes.

During the press conference, Villanueva blamed his loss on “false narratives” and claimed he was a victim of a “weaponized political machine.”

City News Service contributed to this report.

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Featured Image Photo Credit: Mario Tama/Getty Images