What the latest results show in Orange County legislative races – Orange County Register

Former member of the Republican Assembly Steven Choi maintained a lead over the Democratic senator. Josh Newman in the only state Senate race before Orange County voters this year, this was evident from the voting figures released by the Minister of Foreign Affairs shortly after 5 p.m. on Thursday evening.

In the 37th Senate District, Newman, D-Fullerton, faced a challenge from Choi, who served six years in the legislature. The district was identified as crucial by both parties; Democrats hope to keep the seat, while Republicans want to flip it to gain some semblance of the blue supermajority in Sacramento.

Choi had 51.7% of the vote on Thursday evening.

Choi said Wednesday he wanted to see more Republicans in the Legislature. He said a balanced legislature is needed to “do everything.” His focus, if elected, will be on “protecting businesses, reducing inflation and increasing public safety,” he said.

Newman, meanwhile, struck an optimistic tone Wednesday, noting that many ballots remain to be counted.

“I expect we won’t know the outcome of this race for several days,” Newman said. “We remain optimistic, and I am deeply grateful to the hundreds of thousands of people in this county who participated in this critical election, and the hundreds of people who volunteered their time to spread our message of a safer, more livable Orange County. ”

As a result of redistribution, which takes place every ten years, Newman was drawn to a district that was almost entirely new to him. Most of the area is now represented by Senator Dave Min, who is running for California’s 47th congressional district instead of re-election.

Newman’s current district includes parts of Los Angeles, Orange and San Bernardino counties. But the new 37th is only in Orange County and includes Aliso Viejo, Costa Mesa, Irvine and Villa Park. It is closer to the Assembly district that Choi represented when he was in the Legislature.

Meanwhile, on the Assembly side, all nine incumbents in Orange County districts maintain their early leads in their quest to return to Sacramento starting Thursday evening.

59th Assembly District

Assembly member Philip ChenR-Yorba Linda, maintained his lead Democrat Dave Obrandthe district that includes Orange and San Bernardino counties is seeing the latest returns.

Chen had 61.9% of the vote on Thursday evening.

“I am committed to working tirelessly to build a safer, stronger and more prosperous California,” Chen said. “Together, we will advocate for common-sense solutions to reduce crime, combat fraud and waste in government, reduce homelessness, and make California more affordable for all.”

Chen was elected to the General Assembly in 2016 and previously served on the Walnut Valley Unified School District board. In the General Assembly he is vice-chairman of the Committee on Banking and Finance and the Committee on Insurance.

Obrand has a background as a trial attorney and currently serves as deputy attorney general. He did not respond to a request for comment on Wednesday.

64th Assembly District

In a district that includes cities in Los Angeles and Orange counties, Assemblymember Blanca PachecoD-Downey, held her lead Republican Raul Ortiz Jr.

Pacheco had 59.3% of the votes on Thursday evening.

Pacheco was elected to the State Assembly in 2022 and previously served as mayor of Downey. She is a lawyer with a focus on municipal law and estate planning.

Ortiz Jr. previously held positions in the LA County GOP and Orange County GOP.

67th Assembly District

Considered a reliably blue seat, returns Thursday in the 67th Assembly District showed Assembly Member Sharon Quirk-SilvaD-Fullerton, who maintains a lead over the Republican Beth Culver.

Quirk-Silva had 54.8% of the votes according to the last count.

Quirk-Silva has represented Orange County in the State Assembly since 2012, where she chairs the Select Committee on Orange County Homelessness and Mental Health Services. Prior to her time in the Legislature, Quirk-Silva served as mayor of Fullerton.

Culver, of Cypress, has served as president of the Valley Christian Business Association and as a prison ministry board member at the California Institute for Women, according to her candidacy statement. She was an entrepreneur for 50 years.

68th Assembly District

In the 68th Assembly District, Assemblymember Avelino ValenciaD-Anaheim, was still paramount Republican Mike Tardif as of Thursday evening with 61.3% of the vote.

Valencia, a former Anaheim council member, was elected to the Legislature in 2022. Previously, he worked as a special education instructional assistant in the Anaheim Elementary School District.

Tardif, a Santa Ana resident and Republican who also ran for the seat in 2022, owns a sheet metal company and is a longtime Orange County resident.

Orange County’s 68th District includes Anaheim, Orange and Santa Ana.

70th Assembly District

Member of the General Meeting from Thursday evening Tri TaR-Westminster, managed to maintain a significant lead above Democrat Jimmy Pham with 56.5% of the votes.

Pham said Wednesday that he was “disappointed with the results of my race.”

“Over the next two years, I hope my opponent works hard across party lines to restore funding to our district and combat the rampant corruption in our community,” he said.

Ta said Tuesday evening: “I am incredibly happy with the results so far and deeply humbled by the trust the voters have placed in me.”

The 70th District includes Little Saigon in northwestern Orange County, home to the largest Vietnamese population outside of Vietnam.

71st Assembly District

Thursday’s voting tallies in the 71st Assembly district showed an incumbent Assembly member Kate Sanchez ahead of Democrat Gary Kephart.

Sanchez had 61.8% of the votes according to the last count.

Sanchez, a Republican from Rancho Santa Margarita, was first elected to the House in 2022. In Sacramento, she serves on several committees, including Appropriations, where she serves as vice chair.

Kephart, a Democrat from Ladera Ranch, is from Southern California, according to his campaign biography. He is an alumnus of UC Irvine and has worked in a variety of fields, from busboy at Disneyland to engineer at Rockwell International.

The 71st Assembly district includes Orange and Riverside counties.

72nd Assembly District

In the Republican-leaning 72nd Assembly district, Assemblymember Diane DixonR-Newport Beach, held her lead Democrat Dom Jones Thursday evening with 60.1% of the votes.

Dixon said she is “grateful to see voters making their voices heard in support of my leadership.”

“Better days lie ahead for California,” she added.

Jones is a community leader and co-founder of DemocraShe, a nonprofit organization that promotes gender equality and women’s rights.

On Tuesday night, Jones said she is “deeply humbled to be part of this moment.”

“For me, this is not just an evening of counting votes; it is a celebration of the journey we are all on together to build a fairer, more inclusive future,” she said.

AD-72 includes Aliso Viejo, Huntington Beach, Laguna Beach, Lake Forest and Newport Beach.

73rd Assembly District

In a solidly blue district, the 73rd, was evident from the return of Thursda Assemblymember Cottie Petrie-NorrisIrvine, D move forward well Republican Scotty Peotter.

Petrie-Norris had 55.5% of the votes on Thursday evening.

“I am encouraged by this early return, and I am grateful for the support we received tonight from voters throughout Costa Mesa, Irvine and Tustin,” Petrie-Norris said in a statement.

Peotter acknowledged in his own statement that he was waging a lengthy campaign in the heavily Democratic district.

“We are proud that we have put on a reasonable show on a small budget. Much credit goes to my supporters and volunteers for their efforts,” he said on Tuesday.

AD-73 in Orange County includes Costa Mesa, Irvine and Tustin.

74th Assembly District

In perhaps the most watched Assembly race in Orange CountyAssembly member Laurie DaviesR-Laguna Niguel, led the San Clemente council member Chris Duncan in the 74th district.

In the return on Thursday, Davies had an advantage over Duncan. She had 52.4% of the votes on Thursday evening.

Tuesday night, however, marked the only Assembly race in Orange County where the challenger was running ahead of the incumbent at one point.

“I am grateful for all the support our campaign has received, and we are very positive about the initial returns,” said Davies. “There are still thousands of ballots open, so we will have to wait until everything is counted.”

Duncan said Wednesday evening that the race is too early to call.

“There are still tens of thousands of votes to be counted in this hard-fought race, and it is clear that the end result will be very close,” he said.

“This election was about bringing our community together around the values ​​we share and actually getting things done to make life safer, better and more affordable for the middle class,” Duncan said.

The two faced off in 2022, with Davies, R-Laguna Niguel, winning by a 5.2% margin. Prior to the election, there were a greater number of registered Democrats than Republicans in the district. This time, however, Republicans outnumber Democrats in the district that covers part of San Diego County and Orange County, including Dana Point, Laguna Niguel and San Juan Capistrano.

Originally published: November 6, 2024 at 6:13 PM PST