Duncan\u2019s lead widened<\/a> on Thursday. He has received 50.6% of the vote so far to Strickland\u2019s 49.4%, a lead of 3,739 votes.<\/p>\n In a statement<\/a> Wednesday, Duncan said he is \u201ccautiously optimistic\u201d about the latest results, despite it being too close to call.<\/p>\n \u201cThis election is a complete and total repudiation of Donald Trump and Tony Strickland\u2019s divisive politics that have pitted Californians against one another,\u201d he said. \u201cThe future is bright, and I look forward to helping bring back the California Dream and returning our state to its rightful place as the greatest state in the Union.\u201d<\/p>\n Strickland, who is seeking a full term after being tapped by voters in a 2025 special election<\/a> to represent the district, did not respond to requests for comment.<\/p>\n The 36th Senate District \u2014 which spans Orange and Los Angeles counties and includes Cerritos, Garden Grove, Westminster, Fountain Valley, Huntington Beach, Newport Beach, Laguna Beach and San Clemente \u2014 has been represented by a Republican for over three uninterrupted decades.<\/p>\n According to the latest voter registration statistics<\/a> from the secretary of state\u2019s office, registered Republicans make up 36.77% (239,361), registered Democrats make up 33.51% (218,109), and no party preference voters account for 23.09% (150,327) of the electorate.<\/p>\n Assembly District 70<\/p>\n Over in Assembly District 70<\/a>, only about 600 votes separate the candidates.<\/p>\n In the Orange County district that includes Los Alamitos, Rossmoor, Garden Grove, Westminster and Fountain Valley, Assemblymember Tri Ta, R-Westminster, was leading with 50.3% of the vote, as of 5 p.m. The latest tally had Ta only 616 votes ahead of Democrat Paula Swift<\/a>, who is sitting at 49.7%.<\/p>\n Ta, who is seeking a third term after first being elected in 2022, could not be reached for comment Thursday.<\/p>\n Swift, a Seal Beach small business owner, said in a statement<\/a>\u00a0that while the race is still too close to call, the results so far show \u201ca direct repudiation of the current administration\u2019s policy of cruelty.\u201d<\/p>\n Before Ta won, Democrats held the seat from 2012 until 2022, beginning when Bonnie Lowenthal was elected, followed by Democrat Patrick O\u2019Donnell from 2014 to 2022. Before Lowenthal\u2019s term, however, Republicans held the seat for decades.<\/p>\n Registered Democrats account for 36.09% (99,896) of all voters in the district, while registered Republicans account for 32.98% (91,304). No party preference voters make up 24.9% (68,938) of the electorate, according to the secretary of state\u2019s office.<\/p>\n Assembly District 72<\/p>\n Meanwhile, Republican Gracey Van Der Mark<\/a> and Democrat Chris Kluwe<\/a> remain locked in the tight race for the open Assembly District 72<\/a> seat.<\/p>\n Van Der Mark, as of Thursday, has received 50.5% of the vote \u2014 leading by 1,641 votes \u2014 to Kluwe\u2019s 49.5%.<\/p>\n Voters in the district \u2014 which includes Seal Beach, Huntington Beach, Newport Beach, Laguna Beach, Aliso Viejo, Laguna Woods and Lake Forest \u2014 have consistently tapped Republicans over the years to represent them. The last Democrat elected to the post was Sen. Tom Umberg in 1990<\/a>, who is leading in his Board of Equalization District 4<\/a> race this year. Umberg served one term.<\/p>\n Van Der Mark, who is a member of Huntington Beach\u2019s City Council, did not respond to requests for comment.<\/p>\n Kluwe, though, said he expected a \u201creally strong early showing\u201d when returns first came out Tuesday night after the polls closed, and was happy to see that was the case.<\/p>\n \u201cWe knew that there was going to be a significant bounce-back from the in-person voters, because those tend to skew heavily Republican, and so now we\u2019ve got to wait for the mail-in ballots to get counted,\u201d Kluwe, a former NFL player, said. \u201cWe\u2019re hopeful that those are going to go our way, because traditionally those tend to skew Democratic.\u201d<\/p>\n Kluwe said the close results show that voters want a representative in Sacramento who \u201cis going to actually make the government actually work for them,\u201d regardless of political party. Voters connected with his campaign\u2019s prioritization of mitigating climate issues and coastal erosion the most, he said, \u201cbecause it\u2019s materially affecting their lives.\u201d<\/p>\n Registered Republicans account for 39.19% (135,017) of voters in the district, while Democrats account for 32.09% (110,633). No party preference voters make up 21.62% (74,553) of the electorate, according to the secretary of state\u2019s office.<\/p>\n Assembly District 74<\/p>\n The contest in Assembly District 74<\/a> \u2014 which spans Orange and San Diego counties and includes Laguna Niguel, Dana Point, San Juan Capistrano and San Clemente \u2014 was also close.<\/p>\n As of Thursday at 5 p.m., Assemblymember Laurie Davies<\/a>, R-Laguna Niguel, maintained a lead of 1,519 votes, so far receiving 50.5% to Democrat Sergio Farias<\/a>\u2018 49.5%.<\/p>\n Davies, who is seeking a third term, first flipped the seat red in 2022. Assemblymember Cottie Petrie-Norris held the seat from 2018 to 2022, until redistricting changed the area she still represents.<\/p>\n Davies, on Thursday, said she isn\u2019t surprised her race is so close. The past two elections in which she ran for this office followed a similar trend, she said.<\/p>\n \u201cI usually don\u2019t look that much in the beginning, because things can change,\u201d Davies said. \u201cEvery election, you don\u2019t know how people are voting. Some elections, everyone\u2019s going to vote early, or they\u2019re going to wait until Election Day.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019ve learned to be patient and not to get excited and just know that this district is going to take a while for it to balance out,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n Farias, a San Clemente City Council member, said he was surprised and encouraged Tuesday night to see that he initially jumped out with a slight lead when returns first came in. Farias thought he \u201cwould be five percentage points behind on the first drop,\u201d he said Thursday.<\/p>\n Affordability was a major way to connect with voters leading up to Election Day, he said.<\/p>\n \u201cVoters were voting like their financial futures depended on it,\u201d Farias said.<\/p>\n \u201cAt the end of the day, I think it just shows the frustration of the 74th Assembly District, especially when it comes to affordability,\u201d Farias said. \u201cThere\u2019s a sentiment of:\u00a0 \u2018Get out of the way if you\u2019re not going to do anything.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n Davies, too, found that affordability was the top issue for voters she met on the campaign trail.<\/p>\n \u201cThe bottom line is, this state is one of the highest-taxed states, the price of gas is $2 more than in any other state,\u201d she said. \u201cWe listen to our voters, and we\u2019re out there doing whatever we possibly can.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s their voice we\u2019re representing, and we take that very seriously,\u201d Davies said.<\/p>\n According to the secretary of state\u2019s office, registered Democrats account for 34.75% (108,832) of all voters, while registered Republicans account for 34.65% (108,495). No party preference voters make up 22.09% (69,183) of the electorate.<\/p>\n \t\t\t![\"Democrat](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/11\/OCR-L-LEGUPDATE-1106.jpg\")
Democrat Chris Duncan, left, and Republican Tony Strickland, right, are vying for the Senate District 36 seat. (Courtesy photos)<\/p>\n![\"Democrat](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/11\/1793963170_908_OCR-L-ELX-OC-LEGRACES-1104-02.jpg\")
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)<\/p>\n![\"Democrat](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/11\/1793963170_786_OCR-L-ASM-FINANCE-1023-03.jpg\")
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)<\/p>\n![\"Laurie](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/11\/1793963171_373_SUT-L-FARIAS-DAVIES-01_03836f.jpg\")
Laurie Davies, left, and Sergio Farias are vying to represent Assembly District 74. (Courtesy Davies, Farias campaigns)<\/p>\n