Incumbent candidates representing Orange County were largely pulling away in the state Assembly races, as more voting results were updated Wednesday following the close of Tuesday’s primary election.
All nine appear set to advance to the November general election. Only three faced more than one challenger, in the other races, both candidates automatically advance. Ballot counting is still ongoing, and county elections officials have until April 2 to report final results to the secretary of state.
Orange County currently has five Republicans and four Democrats representing it in the 80-member Assembly, though some districts include portions of other Southern California counties.
The most competitive three-way race was between Democrat Cottie Petrie-Norris and her Republican challengers, Scotty Peotter and Henny Abraham in Assembly District 73.
Petrie-Norris led the race with about 54% of the vote, and she is set to run against Peotter who earned 32%. The winner in November will represent the cities of Irvine, Costa Mesa and Tustin in the Assembly. Peotter is a former Newport Beach councilmember. Abraham trailed Tuesday at close to 14%.
The two other Assembly seats with more than two candidates running were less competitive in terms of who got to advance to the runoff.
Democrat Sharon Quirk-Silva had 50% of the vote as of Wednesday for Assembly District 67. Republican Beth Culver, a retired entrepreneur, followed with 42%. Trailing far behind was Jacob Woo Ho Lee, a pastor, who ran as a no party preference candidate, at just over 7%.
Assembly District 67 covers Los Angeles and Orange counties, including parts of Buena Park, Cypress, Fullerton and La Palma. If reelected in November, Quirk-Silva could not run again in the future due to term limits.
The third competitive Assembly race was in Assembly District 71, where incumbent Kate Sanchez faced challenges from Democrat Gary Kephart and Peace and Freedom party candidate Babar Khan.
Sanchez appears set to face Kephart in the November election, with their shares at 62% and 34%, respectively.
“Voting is one of the greatest privileges we have as Americans and today, the people spoke with confidence,” Sanchez said. “I am looking forward to continuing this momentum through the general election and being sworn in once again in Sacramento. Fighting for the people of AD-71 is my distinct honor and I look forward to being the voice in support of parents and small businesses, working to keep our streets safe for all.”
Wednesday tallies showed Republican Tri Ta pulling further ahead of Democrat Jimmy Pham for Assembly District 70. While both candidates were already set to advance to the November election, Ta’s lead has grown as more ballots are counted.
“While it is still early and a lot of votes remain to be counted, the results so far look very promising, and I am thankful to the voters for putting their trust in me,” Ta said in a statement.
The 70th Assembly District covers the cities of Fountain Valley, Garden Grove, Los Alamitos, Midway City, Rossmoor, Stanton and Westminster. He currently has 60% of the vote for Tuesday’s primary election.
Ta won his seat in the 2022 general election with 53% of the vote. Pham is an immigration attorney vying for his first elected office.
“I am grateful for the support our campaign has received thus far, and I look forward to meeting and discussing California’s future with more voters as we turn our focus to November’s General Election,” Pham said in a statement.
In the 68th Assembly District, Democrat Avelino Valencia has 55% of the vote, leading his only challenger, Republican Mike Tardif.
“Orange County voters are making their voices heard, and I am optimistic about these early returns,” Valencia said in a statement. “It is a great honor to represent the 68th District in the California State Assembly. I hope to be fortunate enough to continue to work on behalf of our communities.”
This is not the first time the two have competed against each other. Valencia defeated Tardif in the 2022 election to take the district’s seat in the Assembly. In that election, Valencia got 62% of the vote.
The 68th Assembly District encompasses central Anaheim, Orange and Santa Ana. District voters had consistently elected Republican candidates since the 1990s until Valencia won the seat in 2022 after redistricting.
Tardif, a retired small business owner from Santa Ana, said on Wednesday he was grateful for the support he got in the primary.
“The tide of change is rising in Assembly District 68 as conservative values voters step up and make their voices heard,” Tardif said in a statement. “Strengthening families, safeguarding neighborhoods, and ensuring accountable governance remain my top priorities.”
In the Assembly District 74 race between Republican Laurie Davies and Democrat Chris Duncan, Davies led Wednesday with 55% of the vote.
Davies served on the City Council in Laguna Niguel for about 10 years before joining the Assembly. Duncan is a San Clemente City Councilmember running for the seat for a second time.
The winner in November will represent residents in Dana Point, Laguna Niguel, San Juan Capistrano and parts of San Diego County.
Republican Assemblymember Phillip Chen has a sizable lead over Democrat Dave Obrand in the 59th Assembly District with 65% of the vote.
Chen has served in the state Assembly since 2016. The district includes a portion of San Bernardino and Orange counties, including Brea, Placentia, Villa Park and Yorba Linda.
Blanca Pacheco, a Democrat assemblymember, is leading Raul Ortiz Jr., a Republican from La Mirada, with 55% of the vote.
Pacheco was first elected in 2022 to represent the 64th Assembly District, which spans Los Angeles and Orange counties and includes the city of La Habra.
This also isn’t the first time Ortiz has run for this seat. In 2022, he lost to Pacheco by more than 22,000 votes.
Incumbent Diane Dixon has a comfortable lead in Assembly District 72, carrying 61% of the vote over Republican Dom Jones.
“I’m humbled by the overwhelming support of the people of the 72nd Assembly district,” Dixon said in a Wednesday statement. “This vote is a strong signal of support from my constituents that I am the best candidate to continue representing their values in Sacramento. I look forward to continuing this race and pushing forward to November 5th.”
The 72nd Assembly District includes Aliso Viejo, Huntington Beach, Laguna Beach, Lake Forest and Newport Beach.
Jones’s campaign in a statement on Wednesday said they were thrilled with the support they earned in the primary.
“Together, we are poised to flip this seat on Nov. 8 and pave the way for a new era of inclusive and forward-thinking leadership in Orange County,” the campaign said in a statement.
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