Former Republican Assemblymember Steven Choi maintained a lead over Democratic Sen. Josh Newman in the only state Senate race before Orange County voters this year, vote tallies released Wednesday evening by the county registrar at 5 p.m. showed.
In the 37th Senate district, Newman, D-Fullerton, faced a challenge from Choi, who served in the legislature for six years in the pivotal race. The district was one pinpointed by both parties as crucial; Democrats hope to maintain the seat while Republicans want to flip it to carve a bit into the blue supermajority in Sacramento.
Choi, on Wednesday, said he wanted to see more Republicans in the legislature. He said a balanced legislature is necessary to “do anything.” His focus, if elected, is on “protecting businesses, reducing inflation and enhancing public safety,” he said.
Newman, meanwhile, struck a tone of optimism on Wednesday, noting there are still many ballots left to be counted.
“I expect that we will not know the results of this race for a number of days,” Newman said. “We remain optimistic, and I am immensely grateful to the hundreds of thousands of people in this district who participated in this critical election, and to the hundreds of people who volunteered their time to spread our message of a safer, more liveable Orange County.”
Due to redistricting, which happens every 10 years, Newman was drawn into a district almost completely new to him. Most of the area is now represented by state Sen. Dave Min, who is running for California’s 47th congressional district instead of reelection.
Newman’s current district encompasses parts of Los Angeles, Orange and San Bernardino counties. But the new 37th sits just in Orange County and includes Aliso Viejo, Costa Mesa, Irvine and Villa Park. It’s closer to the Assembly district Choi represented when he was in the legislature.
Meanwhile, on the Assembly side, all nine incumbents in Orange County districts are maintaining their early leads in their quests to head back to Sacramento as of Wednesday evening.
59th Assembly district
Assemblymember Phillip Chen, R-Yorba Linda, maintained his lead over Democrat Dave Obrand, in the district that spans Orange and San Bernardino counties, Wednesday evening returns showed.
“I’m committed to working tirelessly for a safer, stronger and more prosperous California,” Chen said. “Together, we will champion common-sense solutions to lower crime, combat fraud and waste in government, reduce homelessness and make California more affordable for everyone.”
Elected to the Assembly in 2016, Chen previously served on the board of the Walnut Valley Unified School District. In the Assembly, he is the vice chair of the Committee on Banking and Finance and the Committee on Insurance.
Obrand has a background as a litigation attorney and currently serves as deputy county counsel. He did not respond to a request for comment Wednesday.
64th Assembly district
In a district that includes cities in Los Angeles and Orange counties, Assemblymember Blanca Pacheco, D-Downey, kept her lead over Republican Raul Ortiz Jr. Wednesday evening.
Elected to the state Assembly in 2022, Pacheco previously served as Downey’s mayor. She is an attorney with a focus on municipal law and estate planning.
Ortiz Jr. previously held positions in the L.A. County GOP and Orange County GOP.
67th Assembly district
Considered a reliably blue seat, Wednesday’s returns in the 67th Assembly district showed Assemblymember Sharon Quirk-Silva, D-Fullerton, keeping a lead over Republican Beth Culver.
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 the mayor of Fullerton.
Culver, from Cypress, has served as president of the Valley Christian Business Association and on a prison ministries board with the California Institute for Women, according to her candidate statement. She was a business entrepreneur for 50 years.
68th Assembly district
In the 68th Assembly district, Assemblymember Avelino Valencia, D-Anaheim, was still ahead of Republican Mike Tardif as of Wednesday evening.
Valencia, a former Anaheim council member, was elected to the legislature in 2022. Prior to that, 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 business and has been a longtime Orange County resident.
Orange County’s 68th district includes Anaheim, Orange and Santa Ana.
70th Assembly district
As of Wednesday evening, Assemblymember Tri Ta, R-Westminster, was holding onto a sizeable lead over Democrat Jimmy Pham.
Pham Wednesday evening said that he was “disappointed about the results for my race.”
“I hope my opponent works hard in the next two years across party lines to bring back funding for our district and work against rampant corruption in our community,” he said.
Ta said Tuesday night, “I am incredibly pleased with the results so far and deeply honored by the trust voters have placed in me.”
The 70th district encompasses Little Saigon in northwestern Orange County, home to the largest Vietnamese population outside of Vietnam.
71st Assembly district
Wednesday vote tallies in the 71st Assembly district showed incumbent Assemblymember Kate Sanchez out ahead over Democrat Gary Kephart.
Sanchez, a Republican from Rancho Santa Margarita, was first elected to the legislature in 2022. In Sacramento, she’s a member of various committees, including Appropriations, where she serves as the vice chair.
A Democrat from Ladera Ranch, Kephart is a native of Southern California, according to his campaign bio. He’s an alumnus of UC Irvine and has worked in various fields, from a busboy at Disneyland to an engineer at Rockwell International.
The 71st Assembly district encompasses Orange and Riverside counties.
72nd Assembly district
In the Republican-leaning 72nd Assembly district, Assemblymember Diane Dixon, R-Newport Beach, kept her lead over Democrat Dom Jones Wednesday evening.
Dixon said she’s “grateful to see voters making their voices heard in support of my leadership.”
“Brighter days are ahead for California,” she added.
Jones is a community leader and co-founder of DemocraShe, a nonprofit that promotes gender equality and women’s rights.
On Tuesday evening, Jones said she is “deeply humbled to be a part of this moment.”
“For me, this isn’t just a night of tallying votes; it’s a celebration of the journey we all undertake 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, Wednesday returns showed Assemblymember Cottie Petrie-Norris, D-Irvine, pulling well ahead of Republican Scotty Peotter.
“I’m encouraged by these early returns, and I’m grateful for the support we received tonight from voters throughout Costa Mesa, Irvine and Tustin,” Petrie-Norris said in a statement.
Peotter, in his own statement, acknowledged that he ran a longshot campaign in the heavily Democratic district.
“We are proud that we made a reasonable showing on a shoestring budget. Much credit must go 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 closely watched Assembly race in Orange County, Assemblymember Laurie Davies, R-Laguna Niguel, led San Clemente Councilmember Chris Duncan in the 74th district.
Wednesday returns had Davies ahead of Duncan. On Tuesday night, however, it was the only Assembly race in Orange County where the challenger pulled ahead of the incumbent at one point.
“I’m grateful for all the support our campaign has received, and we’re feeling really strong about the initial returns,” Davies said. “There are still thousands of ballots outstanding, so we’ll have to wait and see until everything is counted.”
Duncan, Wednesday evening, said the race is still too early to call.
“There remain tens of thousands of votes still to be counted in this hard-fought race, and it’s clear the final 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,” said Duncan.
The two faced off in 2022, with Davies, R-Laguna Niguel, winning by a 5.2% margin. Ahead of the election, there were a greater number of registered Democrats than Republicans in the district. This time, though, Republicans outnumber Democrats in the district that covers a portion of San Diego County and Orange County, including Dana Point, Laguna Niguel and San Juan Capistrano.
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