Coastal O.C. election counts show close battles and clear leads

Early returns in county, state and national elections for seats representing residents of Costa Mesa, Huntington Beach, Newport Beach, Laguna Beach and Fountain Valley show some contests essentially decided while others are still close. A statewide seat, that of California attorney general, has eluded Huntington Beach resident Michael Gates, a Republican challenger against incumbent Atty. Gen. Rob Bonta, a Democrat.

Orange County Board of Supervisors District 5

Orange County Supervisor Katrina Foley celebrated an early lead at a Tuesday election party in Costa Mesa, where she watched first returns in the supervisor race.

With fewer than 300 votes separating Foley, a Democrat, from Republican Assemblymember Diane Dixon in the June primary, many expected a tight contest heading into the November midterm elections.

Early Wednesday morning, Foley held a 51.5% to 48.5% edge over Dixon in her bid for reelection.

“While there are many votes left to count in our race, we are optimistic that our message resonated with voters across Orange County’s Fifth District,” Foley said. “I am deeply grateful to the voters, volunteers and supporters who gave their time and heart to this campaign. Their support strengthens my commitment to good government and public service.”

The District 5 seat, which stretches from Costa Mesa to San Clemente in South O.C., could help determine the partisan balance of power on the O.C. Board of Supervisors. Foley’s seat is one of two up for election on the five-member board.

Democrats have enjoyed a slim majority since Foley’s election in 2022.

The partisan high stakes turned District 5 into a pricey contest.

Foley raised more than $615,000 this year for her reelection bid. Dixon, a former Newport Beach mayor, raised about $605,000 in challenging Foley.

Several union groups backed Foley through independent expenditures, including the Assn. of Orange County Deputy Sheriffs, which spent roughly $1 million supporting her reelection while spending $255,000 to oppose Dixon.

Dixon enjoyed the support of the conservative Lincoln Club of Orange County’s 1962 PAC, which has spent roughly $575,000 opposing Foley and just under $140,000 supporting Dixon’s effort to unseat her.

Another PAC primarily funded by oil corporations has spent about $330,000 in support of Dixon’s campaign.

Dixon could not immediately be reached for comment.

State Senate District 36

The state Senate District 36 race pitting incumbent Tony Strickland (R) against challenger Chris Duncan (D) remained too close to call on Election Night.

Duncan, a former federal prosecutor and ex-San Clemente councilmember, maintained a slim lead of just 1,060 votes over Strickland, as of Wednesday morning.

“While this race is still to close to call, we are cautiously optimistic about what’s left to count,” Duncan said in a social media post. “Our campaign’s first priority will be making sure every lawfully ballot is counted.”

The senate district mostly coils along Orange County coastal cities from Huntington Beach to San Clemente, but also stretches inland to O.C. and Los Angeles County cities that are majority Democrat, like Buena Park and Hawaiian Gardens.

Duncan, a Democrat, remains competitive in the O.C. portions of the district and maintains a small, but lopsided lead over his Republican opponent in L.A. County.

“For an incumbent to be in a race this close is surprising,” said Jodi Balma, a political science professor at Fullerton College. “The campaigns they ran were symbolic of what they want to do in Sacramento. Strickland is looking for bigger issues than what the voters care about, especially when we’re seeing the coastline in his district disappear.”

Strickland could not be immediately reached by press deadline.

Duncan ran on a platform of making housing more affordable for his constituents, whether renters or first-time homebuyers, while vowing to tackle political corruption.

As Super El Niño swells, Kelvin waves and king tides take turns battering O.C.’s famous beaches, the state Senate hopeful seeks to protect the coastline with climate resilient infrastructure projects.

Strickland pointed to his record in making his case for reelection, including authoring a bill that tried to temporarily suspend the state’s fuel tax to lower gas prices but was rejected.

He also co-authored and championed Proposition 39, which would have required in-person voters to present a government-issued form of identification while having mail-in voters enter the last four digits of their ID number on mail-in ballots.

California voters soundly rejected the proposition.

Fundraising was not as close as the vote tally.

Strickland, who won the senate seat last year during a special election, raised $2.6 million in his bid for reelection. Duncan raised $1.6 million in support of his campaign.

State Attorney General

California Atty. General candidate Michael Gates said he felt he had a “meaningful shot” before the first election results dropped Tuesday night.

Gates held a watch party at a sports bar in Pacific City, with his wife, five children and dozens of supporters. But the former Huntington Beach city attorney, a Republican, lost to incumbent Democrat Rob Bonta.

As of Wednesday morning, Bonta had more than 4.9 million votes, or 63.8% of the total. Gates had nearly 2.8 million votes, 36.2% of the vote.

Gates cited multiple polls that said about 65% of Californians felt the state was going in the wrong direction. He was unable to win the statewide spot, however, despite spending efforts that he told supporters Tuesday night were at least partially targeted at Latino and No Party Preference voters.

Gates, who resigned as the city attorney and worked for about nine months in the U.S. Department of Justice last year, said he was unsure what was next for him.

“It’s been a little bit of a whirlwind,” he said in an interview. “I kind of have to, as the kids say, touch grass, ground myself and figure out what’s next.”

U.S. House of Reps District 42

Robert Garcia was reelected to his third term in Congress. The progressive Democrat and former Long Beach mayor won the District 42 race, with 115,522 votes or 59.6% of the early vote. Republican Brian Burley, a Huntington Beach native who was also running for the city council in that city, had 78,160 votes, or 40.4%.

After redistricting, Garcia now represents not only Long Beach, but also the Orange County coastal cities of Huntington Beach and Newport Beach. He held a press conference Wednesday afternoon in Huntington Beach, detailing plans as the incoming chair of the U.S. House Oversight and Government Reform Committee.

Tuesday night, he tweeted out two words for the Trump administration: “Lawyer Up.” Locally, he said he was grateful for support from the new cities in his district and excited about showings of Democrats in other races.

“The idea that Huntington Beach is MAGA as a city, that’s over, that’s done,” Garcia said in an interview. “We’re going to make sure that everyone’s represented, uplift the entire community, and I’m excited about that.”

U.S. House of Reps District 45

Incumbent Derek Tran, a Democrat, held a comfortable lead with 102,552 votes, representing 58.7% of ballots counted to date, over Republican Chuong Vo, a retired police officer, who received 72,049, or 41.3% of the votes, according to the California Secretary of State.

Tran, who became the first Vietnamese American to represent the district in 2024 after narrowly defeating then-incumbent Michelle Steel, a Republican, to flip the seat, said in a statement issued Tuesday evening that he was “humbled” to have constituents place trust in him again.

“I do not take this responsibility lightly,” Tran said. “Congress must be focused on lowering costs, protecting affordable healthcare, and rooting out corruption from this Administration.”

The 45th congressional district includes portions of Los Angeles and Orange counties, including Artesia, Buena Park, Cerritos, Cypress, Fountain Valley, Fullerton, Garden Grove, Hawaiian Gardens, La Palma, Lakewood, Los Alamitos, Norwalk, Placentia, Santa Ana, Seal Beach, Stanton and Westminster.

U.S. House of Reps District 47

Democrat Dave Min held a significant advantage in his bid for reelection over Republican Jenny Rae Le Roux, receiving 120,308 votes, or 56.9% of the ballots tallied as of Wednesday evening. Le Roux had received 91,134 (43.10%) as of the latest count.

“Across Orange County and across the country, voters are demanding change and a government that puts hardworking families first,” Min said in a statement posted on his Instagram account on Tuesday evening. “Tonight’s sweeping victory, for myself and for Democrats across the nation, up and down the ballot, is a repudiation of Donald Trump and his Republican rubber stamps.”

Min, a former state senator, was first elected in 2024 to represent the district, which includes the cities of Costa Mesa, Huntington Beach, Irvine, Laguna Beach, Newport Beach, and Seal Beach. It also covers portions of Laguna Hills and Laguna Woods.

State Assembly District 72

Republican Gracey Van Der Mark and Democrat Chris Kluwe, both Huntington Beach residents, were locked in a tight battle for the State Assembly District 72 seat as of Wednesday morning. Van Der Mark, a city council member, had 82,153 votes, or 50.8% of the total. Kluwe, a former NFL punter running for public office for the first time, had 79,548 votes, 49.2% of the tally.

By 5 p.m. Wednesday, their tallies had changed. Van Der Mark had received 85,453 votes (50.81%) to Kluwe’s 82,744 (49.19%).

State Assembly District 73

Democrat incumbent Cottie Petrie-Norris held a sizable lead over Republican Urson Russell in her bid to return to the State Assembly.

Petrie-Norris, who by Wednesday evening’s count had secured 67,313 votes, a 62.05% share of ballots counted, was first elected in 2018. Russell trailed by 26,137 votes.

The district covers the cities of Costa Mesa, Irvine and Tustin.