Betty Martinez Franco appears set to join the Irvine City Council, filling out the seven-member dais as the District 5 representative.

A day after polls closed in a special election to fill the vacant seat, Martinez Franco had maintained her lead in the returns over former councilmember Anthony Kuo. Dana Cornelius, an HOA board member, was in a distant third.

Kuo said in a statement that he reached out Tuesday night to congratulate Martinez Franco.

“Tonight, we concluded a spirited campaign for City Council, but came up short,” he said. “I just reached out to Betty Martinez Franco to offer my congratulations, and I wish her the best as she works to lead and represent District 5 on the City Council. Her success as a councilwoman will translate into Irvine’s success as a thriving community.”

Irvine’s Fifth District includes Woodbridge, University Park and other neighborhoods straddling the 405 Freeway.

Martinez Franco had amassed more than 3,800 votes as of Wednesday — the OC Registrar of Voters posts updates on ballot counting each day at 5 p.m. until completed. Kuo had fewer than 3,300 and Cornelius had fewer than 800. Voter turnout is so far around 27.3% of the nearly 29,000 registered voters in Irvine’s Fifth District, according to the Registrar website.

The special election is deciding who will fill the newly expanded Irvine City Council’s seventh seat through 2026. The position is open because Larry Agran vacated his at-large council seat after winning his election for mayor in November.

Martinez Franco said she was initially shocked to see the results.

“I cannot believe it,” she said Tuesday night. “This is the most exciting thing that has ever happened in my life.”

Martinez Franco, who was born in Monterrey, Mexico, said she could become the first Latina to serve on Irvine’s council.

After the election, she reiterated her priorities from her campaign, including to improve traffic congestion, public safety, small business support and the cost of living in Irvine, she said.

“I want to work on housing affordability by trying to find solutions with the state and federal authorities,” she said. “My second priority is bringing more small businesses to Irvine. I want to partner with ethnic chambers of commerce to create opportunities for entrepreneurs to stay in our city.”