.png)
Strickland's heavy-hitting endorsements and early lead—as well as the district’s Republican voter registration advantage—make him a formidable opponent for any Democrat challenger.
While around 25% of Orange County ballots have yet to be counted, the results of the 2024 general elections are in. The margins in several key races are such that, while a winner has not been declared officially, victory is all but assured. One such example is the Orange County Board of Supervisors District 1 race, where Sen. Janet Nguyen enjoys a nearly 26 point lead over her opponent, Democratic Cypress City Councilwoman Frances Marquez.
The outcome of that race in particular has implications that go far beyond the makeup of the county’s Board of Supervisors. As Sen. Nguyen is highly favored to win, she will be vacating the 36th Senate District. This will trigger a special election to fill the empty seat.
This begs the question: who will run?
For the Republicans, the answer has been clear since April, when Huntington Beach City Councilman Tony Strickland officially threw his hat in the ring. Strickland previously served both as a California State Senator (for CA SD-19) and as an Assemblyman (for CA AD-37). Strickland also has the endorsement of the district’s current representative, Sen. Nguyen, as well as Sheriff-Coroner Don Barnes and both Congresswomen Young Kim (CA CD-40) and Michelle Steel (CA CD-45).
Strickland even earned a glowing review from President Donald Trump.
“Tony is showing how we can fight for voter integrity and cleaning up the homelessness and all the other things you have to do to make a place work,” said President Trump. “Tony, you’ve done a fantastic job as Mayor.”
On his campaign website, Strickland states that his three biggest accomplishments as Mayor of Huntington Beach have been “[fighting] to fully fund law enforcement to keep Surf City safe,” “[fighting] to clean up a homelessness crisis that was growing out of control,” and “[fighting] for voter integrity, authoring California’s first local Voter ID initiative.”
Indeed, Strickland was instrumental in the passing of Huntington Beach’s Measure 1, which voters approved earlier this year by a decisive seven point margin. The Measure authorizes the City to require photo identification for elections, making Huntington Beach the first municipality in California to push back on the state over the issue of voter ID. Strickland wrote the argument supporting Measure 1, and stated in an interview with Voice of OC that “our democracy does not work if people do not have faith in the election results."
“While Gavin Newsom’s homelessness policies have resulted in PoopMaps and exploding encampments, homelessness is down dramatically in Huntington Beach,” said Strickland. “Sacramento needs more of Surf City’s common sense.”
That common sense Strickland described has, objectively speaking, proved extremely popular in Huntington Beach. While the races have yet to be formally called, all three sitting Democrat Councilmembers are poised to lose to a slate of three Republican newcomers—dubbed “HB3”—who ran on a platform of restoring common sense. If it holds, Huntington Beach will join Newport Beach (also in SD-36) in having an all-conservative dais.
When accounting for his early lead, heavy-hitting endorsements, and the voter registration of the district (+3% Republican), Strickland will likely be an extremely difficult opponent for Democrats to face. As of yet, a prominent Democrat has yet to announce their bid for the race—and it’s anyone’s guess who they will bring forward.
Some rumors, albeit unsubstantiated, point to former Huntington Beach City Councilwoman Kim Carr, who ran unsuccessfully against Sen. Nguyen in 2022. Carr is currently serving as a Senior District Representative to Sen. Catherine Blakespear (CA SD-38). At the time of writing, Carr has not made any indication of an intent to run.
Whether or not Democrats can successfully field a challenger capable of surmounting the momentum needed to defeat Strickland remains to be seen—but they will need more than just a viable candidate. They would need a compelling vision that can unite a district that has repeatedly vocalized its allegiance to Strickland’s brand of pragmatic conservatism. And that will undoubtedly be a tall order.
Comments