Ventura county district attorney election 2022

Ventura County's incumbent district attorney holds 17-point lead after first day

Ventura County District Attorney Erik Nasarenko, left, held nearly a 17-point lead over Senior Deputy DA John Barrick as of the latest vote count on Wednesday.

Ventura County's incumbent district attorney, Erik Nasarenko, held an all-but-decisive lead Wednesday with initial results from Tuesday's primary election, where he had been challenged by fellow prosecutor John Barrick.

With just over 100,000 votes counted as of Wednesday afternoon, Nasarenko had received 58,499 votes, or 58.5% of the total, while Barrick received 41,554 votes, or 41.5%. The difference of almost 17,000 votes amounted to nearly a 17-point lead for the incumbent.

"The reality is 17,000 votes is a lot to overcome," Barrick, 52, said Wednesday. "I'd need to have a minor miracle."

With only two candidates in the race, the results of Tuesday's primary will determine the eventual winner.

On Thursday, updated numbers widened Nasarenko's lead to nearly 59% of more than 120,000 ballots processed. Nasarenko had 71,097 votes while Barrick had 49,643. Elections officials estimated there were another 57,565 unprocessed ballots remaining.

The first day's count as of Wednesday had consisted mostly of early mailed ballots and in-person votes, according to the Ventura County Elections office.

Ballots will continue to be counted as they are received through June 14, as long as they were postmarked by Tuesday.

Nasarenko, 52, was appointed to the office in January 2021 in a unanimous vote by the Ventura County Board of Supervisors following the retirement of the previous DA, Greg Totten, who held the position for 18 years. Barrick currently works under Nasarenko as a senior deputy DA.

"I was proud of the campaign that we ran," Nasarenko said Wednesday. "It was clean, positive and focused on issues and polices rather than personalities and people."

During the campaign, Nasarenko said, he talked about the "outstanding efforts" the DA's office is doing to keep the county safe and new initiatives launched to help victims. "I think those messages really connected with voters," he said.

Barrick said he plans to continue serving in his role if the election does not turn in his favor.

"I will have no hard feelings," Barrick said. "I've always been about what's best for my office."

Jeremy Childs is a breaking news and public safety reporter covering the night shift for the Ventura County Star. He can be reached by calling 805-437-0208 or emailing . You can also find him on Twitter @Jeremy_Childs.

This article originally appeared on Ventura County Star: Ventura County's incumbent district attorney holds comfortable lead