Four Orange County legislative races with GOP incumbents or that have long been Republican-held remained tight as more votes were tallied Wednesday afternoon.
Democratic challenger Chris Duncan held onto a narrow lead as he seeks to unseat Republican Sen. Tony Strickland of Huntington Beach in the race for Senate District 36.
As of 5:15 p.m. Wednesday, the latest update from the secretary of state, the race between Duncan and Strickland was neck and neck. Duncan had received 50.3% of the vote so far to Strickland’s 49.7%, in the lead by just over 1,600 votes.
Sen. Tony Strickland (R) , Chris Duncan (D)
Duncan is a former San Clemente councilmember and mayor. Strickland is seeking a full term after being tapped by voters in a 2025 special election to represent the district.
The 36th Senate District — which spans Orange and Los Angeles counties and includes Cerritos, Garden Grove, Westminster, Fountain Valley, Huntington Beach, Newport Beach, Laguna Beach and San Clemente — has been represented by a Republican for over three uninterrupted decades, starting when Ray Haynes was first elected in 1994 and served two terms.
Republican Dennis Hollingsworth was elected in 2002, serving two terms until fellow GOP candidate Joel Anderson won the seat in 2010. Patricia Bates was then elected to two terms beginning in 2014, until Janet Nguyen was elected to the post in 2022.
Over in Assembly District 70 — an Orange County district that includes Los Alamitos, Rossmoor, Garden Grove, Westminster and Fountain Valley — Assemblymember Tri Ta, R-Westminster, received 50.5% of the vote so far, leading by just over 1,100 votes against Democrat and Seal Beach small business owner Paula Swift, who is sitting at 49.5%
Democrat Paula Swift, left, and Republican Assemblymember Tri Ta, right, are vying for the Assembly District 70 seat in the Nov. 3 general election. (Courtesy photos)
Ta, who is seeking a third term, was first elected in 2022 in an open race.
Democrats held the seat from 2012 until 2022, beginning when Bonnie Lowenthal was elected, followed by Democrat Patrick O’Donnell from 2014 to 2022. Prior to Lowenthal’s term, however, Republicans held the seat for decades.
Meanwhile, Republican Gracey Van Der Mark and Democrat Chris Kluwe are in a tightly contested race for Orange County’s Assembly District 72 seat, which includes Seal Beach, Huntington Beach, Newport Beach, Laguna Beach, Aliso Viejo, Laguna Woods and Lake Forest.
Van Der Mark opened her lead a bit Wednesday, with 50.8% of the vote — leading by just over 2,700 votes — to Kluwe’s 49.2%
Democrat Chris Kluwe (left) and Republican Gracey Van Der Mark (right) are vying for the 72nd Assembly District seat in the Nov. 3 general election. (Courtesy photos)
The contest in Assembly District 74 — which spans Orange and San Diego counties and includes Laguna Niguel, Dana Point, San Juan Capistrano and San Clemente — was a bit tighter.
There, Assemblymember Laurie Davies, R-Laguna Niguel, had received 50.4% of the vote, leading by just over 1,000 votes against challenger Sergio Farias, sitting at 49.6%.
Laurie Davies, left, and Sergio Farias are vying to represent Assembly District 74. (Courtesy Davies, Farias campaigns)
Davies, who is seeking a third term, first flipped the seat Republican in 2022. Assemblymember Cottie Petrie-Norris held the seat from 2018 to 2022, until redistricting changed the area she still represents.
And while voting has ended, it will be a bit before ballots are counted and results are clear. Still, there will be a handful of new faces representing Orange County in the California Legislature, as one Senate seat and three Assembly seats are open.
Members of the Assembly are elected to two-year terms while state senators are elected to four-year terms, both serving in Sacramento. A person can only serve a total of 12 years in the legislature, across both houses.
Elsewhere in Orange County, Democratic candidates made large gains in their races for Assembly and Senate seats. Here’s a look at where races stand as of Wednesday afternoon, according to the secretary of state’s office:
California Assembly
Assembly District 59: Assemblymember Phillip Chen, R-Yorba Linda, had received 61.4% of the vote against Green Party challenger Victor Hernandez at 38.6% after more votes were tallied Wednesday. The district spans Orange and San Bernardino counties, includes Brea, Placentia, Villa Park, Yorba Linda, Anaheim Hills and Chino Hills.
Assembly District 64: Assemblymember Blanca Pacheco, D-Downey, kept a resounding lead, with 70.2%, against Republican Raul Ortiz Jr. at 29.8%. The district spans Los Angeles and Orange counties, includes Bell, Downey, Norwalk, Santa Fe Springs, South Whittier, La Mirada and La Habra.
Assembly District 67: Democrat Mark Pulido received 62.1% of the vote in the race for the open seat, while Republican Paulo Morales was at 37.9% Wednesday. The district spans Orange and Los Angeles counties, including Artesia, Cerritos, Cypress, Buena Park, Fullerton and West Anaheim.
Assembly District 68: In the Democrat-on-Democrat battle, David Penaloza maintained his lead with 51.9% of the votes over Jessie Lopez at 48.1% for the Orange County district, which spans Anaheim, Orange and Santa Ana.
Assembly District 71: Assemblymember Kate Sanchez, R-Rancho Santa Margarita, still leads Democratic challenger JJ Galvez. Sanchez received 54.2% of the vote as of Wednesday, with Galvez at 45.8%. The district spans Orange and Riverside counties, and includes Mission Viejo, Ladera Ranch, Rancho Santa Margarita and Temecula.
Assembly District 73: Assemblymember Cottie Petrie-Norris, D-Irvine, maintained a lead and received 62% of the vote in the race against Republican challenger Urson Russell, at 38%, as of Wednesday. The Orange County district includes Costa Mesa, Irvine and Tustin.
California Senate
Senate District 30: Sen. Bob Archuleta, D-Pico Rivera, maintained his strong lead over Republican challenger Araceli Martinez. Archuleta had received 67.2% of the vote as of late Wednesday afternoon, with Martinez at 32.4%. The district spans Los Angeles and Orange counties, including Montebello, Downey, Norwalk, Whittier, La Habra Heights and Brea.
Senate District 32: Sen. Kelly Seyarto, R-Murrieta, received 53.2% of votes, holding onto his lead against Democrat Tiffanie Tate at 46.8%. The district spans Orange, Riverside, San Bernardino and San Diego counties. It includes Chino Hills, Yorba Linda, Norco, Menifee, Murrieta, Temecula and Idyllwild.
Senate District 34: Democratic Assemblymember Avelino Valencia maintained his large lead, with 67.4% of the vote, over Republican Rhonda Shader at 32.6%. This district spans parts of Los Angeles and Orange counties, including South Whittier, La Habra, Buena Park, Fullerton, Anaheim and Santa Ana.
Senate District 38: Sen. Catherine Blakespear, D-Encinitas, maintained her lead over Republican challenger Laura Bassett. As of Wednesday afternoon, Blakespear had received nearly 55.8% of votes counted so far, with Bassett at 44.2%. This district spans parts of Orange and San Diego counties, includes Mission Viejo, Rancho Santa Margarita and San Juan Capistrano.