It’s over.

Voters in the First District have rejected Das Williams’s bid for a third term on the Santa Barbara County Board of Supervisors, a shocking outcome to an election that just about every spectator believed the incumbent would win easily.

Carpinteria City Councilman Roy Lee eked out a narrow victory over Williams, according to the latest election results, released just before noon on Wednesday.

Although Lee led the vote consistently since Election Day, Williams’ last hope was in the latest batch of results. It did not happen.

Lee was humble in victory

“These latest results fill me with both humility and hope,” Lee told Noozhawk. “It’s been a long journey, filled with hard work and invaluable support from our community. This campaign is a testament to our shared commitment to positive change and progress.

“I am deeply honored to serve, and promise to dedicate myself to the betterment of our district, listening to every member of our community and fighting for the needs of all its residents.”

Lee acknowledged Williams’ “two decades of passion and hard work.”

Williams issued a statement conceding the election:

“This community is made up of passionate, engaged people who care about the issues. It has been an honor to serve this community for now over 21 years, and I thank you for voting for me at least nine times and giving me the chance I yearned for all my life: to make a difference for our shared future.”

The updated results show Lee with 12,670 votes, to Williams’ 12,116 votes, according to the Santa Barbara County Elections Office.

The percentages were 50.95% to 48.72%.

Countywide there are still 1,745 ballots to be counted. Lee gained 44 votes since the last batch of results.

In response to a Noozhawk question about his next move, Williams said: “I am reflecting on how I can best make a difference, but at the beginning of next year, I will be concentrating on supporting my wife Jonnie’s career and the development of my still small children.”

Williams was first elected to the Santa Barbara City Council in 2003, and has served for 21 consecutive years in some form of public office. The loss likely will reverberate through political circles for a long time.

Williams was coming off a close victory four years ago over the popular Laura Capps, who is now the Second District county supervisor.

If Capps couldn’t beat him, political watchers agreed, there was no way Lee, a Carpinteria councilman with little name recognition, could win.

But a perfect storm seemed to hit Williams. Essentially, everything went wrong at the exact right time to create a scenario for Williams to lose.

He lost several major endorsements from women’s groups, including the Santa Barbara County Democratic Women and the Santa Barbara Women’s Political Committee.

He also lost the endorsement of the Santa Barbara Independent, and was heavily criticized by the Montecito Journal and Newsmakers with JR, a news blog run by former News-Press editor Jerry Roberts.

Three retired public safety officials came out against him.

Barney Melekian, a former Santa Barbara County undersheriff and Santa Barbara interim police chief; retired Santa Barbara City Fire Chief Pat McElroy; and retired Santa Barbara County District Attorney Joyce Dudley publicly endorsed Lee and sent out a mailer.

Former Second District Supervisor Janet Wolf also publicly endorsed Lee, accompanied by a flier.

Williams could also not escape the stain of the county’s cannabis ordinance, which prompted many people in the Carpinteria Valley to turn on him. And questions arose about his trustworthiness after he accepted $62,000 from cannabis growers, while the county was writing the cannabis ordinance.

As the public tide turned, Williams didn’t help himself by running a lackluster campaign. He historically has been known for running aggressive campaigns, clearing the field before they even start sometimes, and then out-raising and outspending his opponents.

Observers contend that Williams, a strategist by nature, underestimated Lee, and did not campaign as hard as he did in previous high-profile campaigns.

Furthermore, the Santa Barbara County Democratic Party focused much of its resources on the Third District campaign, working to help incumbent Joan Hartmann win her election outright and avoid a November runoff.

Hartmann ended up winning with 58.85% of the vote.

Williams told Noozhawk there’s still work to do in the next nine months before the change in power.

“We continue to have many challenges as a community, foremost amongst them housing affordability, environmental protection, and flood control,” Williams said. “I hope to support any effort my successor’s makes on these vital needs.”