© Provided by Washington Examiner Democrats on Tuesday successfully flipped an Orange County supervisor seat, challenging the notion that the region is still a conservative stronghold.
This is the first time since 1894 that Democrats have been in control of the board seat for the county's 2nd District, according to reports from the Orange County Register and the Courthouse News Service.
The five-person board, which is technically nonpartisan, had been controlled by four conservatives and one liberal. Costa Mesa, California, Mayor Katrina Foley's Tuesday special election victory reduces the conservatives' advantage from four to three, putting the possibility of a Democratic majority on the board within reach.
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Foley received 42,347 votes, giving her 44.28% of the vote, according to the Orange County Registrar of Voters, which claims 100% of its precincts fully reported. The totals will likely change to some degree as any ballots postmarked for election day and received by Friday will still be counted.
Republican John Moorlach, a former state senator, received 30.98% of the vote. His fellow Republicans, Kevin Muldoon and Michael Vo, received 11.24% and 9.03% of the vote, respectively.
Moorlach expressed frustration over the other two candidates' insistence on staying in the race.
"If the two confused Republicans weren't in the race, I would be ahead right now," he told the Daily Pilot.
Just before 10:15 p.m. on Tuesday, Moorlach told the Orange County Register that he conceded to Foley.
"I ran on a platform of recovering from COVID, particularly getting this vaccine distributed in a more efficient manner so we could get back to our normal lives - I think that is what people want overwhelmingly," Foley said.
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The Orange County Board of Supervisors did not immediately return the Washington Examiner's request for comment.
Tags: News, California, Republicans, Democrats
Original Author: Haley Victory Smith
Original Location: Orange County Democrats gain control of supervisor seat for first time since 1894