Republican Lynn Daucher continues to lead Democrat Lou Correa as returns trickle in from the 34th Senate race in Orange County. But her lead is getting smaller, not larger.

Today's unofficial returns show Daucher now ahead by 147 votes. That's down from yesterday, when she led by 302 votes... and down from last week, when Daucher led by as many as 833 votes.

The district, which is slightly more Democratic than Republican, was ground zero for the most contentious legislative race of the year. Both Daucher and Correa have served stints in the Assembly. And, predictably, both campaigns say their candidate will end up the winner once all the votes are counted.

But word is there are a few thousand provisional ballots still pending... which means the final answer may not come for several more days.