2022 IN REVIEW
2022 IN REVIEW
2022 IN REVIEW
Orange County Democrats had a highly successful 2022.
On all fronts.
Let’s take a look at the record.
November 2022 General Election
- % of endorsed Democratic candidates who won their contests 58.46%
- % of endorsed Republican candidates who won their contests 46.32%
# of endorsed Democrats who won their contests
# of endorsed Democratic incumbents who lost re-election
# of endorsed Democratic incumbents who won re-election
OC Republican Party
# of endorsed Republicans who won their contests
# of endorsed Republican incumbents who lost re-election
# of endorsed Republican incumbents who won re-election
U.S. House of Representatives
Linda Sánchez
California’s 38th Congressional District
Linda Sánchez
California’s 38th Congressional District
Linda Sánchez
California’s 38th Congressional District
Linda Sánchez
California’s 38th Congressional District
Lou Correa
California’s 46th Congressional District
Katie Porter
California’s 47th Congressional District
Mike Levin
California’s 49th Congressional District
Democrats defended all 4 incumbents running for re-election, including 2 nationally-watched battleground districts. Republican groups spent over $13 million trying to defeat Rep. Porter, and over $11 million trying to defeat Rep. Levin. Nevertheless, Orange County Democrats persisted.
California Legislature
Orange County Democrats gained both an Assembly and a Senate seat in 2022. These gains have helped contribute to one of California’s largest Democratic delegations in both the Assembly and the Senate.
Congratulations to Assemblymembers:
- Blanca Pacheco (AD-64)
- Sharon Quirk-Silva (AD-67)
- Avelino Valencia (AD-68)
- Cottie Petrie-Norris (AD-73)
Congratulations to Senators:
- Bob Archuleta (SD-30)
- Tom Umberg (SD-34)
- Catherine Blakespear (SD-38)
Orange County
There’s a new majority in town.
Orange County Democrats have secured a majority on the powerful Orange County Board of Supervisors. This board oversees over $8 billion in direct funding for homelessness, healthcare, transportation, and other critical services that impact our day-to-day lives. This will be the first time since 1976 that Democrats have had a majority – and only the 3rd time in Orange County’s 133 year incorporated history that Democrats have controlled a governing majority of the board.
Orange County
Congratulations to Orange County Supervisors:
- Vicente Sarmiento (District 2)
- Doug Chaffee (District 4)
- Katrina Foley (District 5)
Municipal / City Contests
# of Democratic municipal gains
# of Republican municipal gains
*correction! previous version listed 10
Runoff elections in Seal Beach (January 2024) can change these numbers.
Aliso Viejo
Councilmember Tiffany Ackley was successfully re-elected, keeping a Democratic majority on the city council.
Anaheim
Mayor Ashleigh Aitken was elected; she will be the first woman in Anaheim’s 145 year incorporated history to have been elected Mayor. Aitken will be the first Democratic Mayor of the city since 2002.
Councilmembers Carlos León and Natalie Ruvalcaba were elected; León will be the youngest Councilmember in over a century and he beat over $300K in outside spending. Ruvalcaba will be the first Latina to represent her district in history.
With Assemblymember Avelino Valencia’s election, the council is at a 3-3 Democrat/Republican tie, the best result for Democrats in decades.
Buena Park
Councilmembers Joyce Ahn and Jose Trinidad Castañeda were elected; Councilmember Connor Traut was re-elected.
This will be the second ever all-Democratic city council in Orange County.
Costa Mesa
Mayor John Stephens and Councilmembers Andrea Marr, Manuel Chavez, and Arlis Reynolds were all re-elected. This is the first time in 40 years that an entire council has been re-elected in Costa Mesa.
Cypress
Councilmember David Burke was successfully elected.
Fullerton
Councilmember Shana Charles was successfully elected, and Councilmember Ahmad Zahra was successfully re-elected.
The city retains its Democratic majority.
Garden Grove
Councilmember Joe Do Vinh was successfully elected.
Irvine
Mayor Farrah Khan and Councilmember Larry Agran were successfully re-elected. Councilmember Kathleen Treseder was successfully elected.
This increases the Democratic majority to 4-1.
La Habra
Councilmember Daren Nigsarian was successfully elected after being appointed to the Council in 2021.
La Palma
Councilmember Janet Keo Conklin was successfully elected, increasing the number of Democrats on the council to 2.
Laguna Beach
Councilmember Alex Rounaghi was successfully elected, and Mayor Sue Kempf was successfully re-elected.
Rounaghi will be the youngest Councilmember ever to sit on the Laguna Beach City Council.
Laguna Niguel
Councilmember Stephanie Oddo was successfully elected.
Oddo will be the first ever Democrat to sit on the council.
Laguna Woods
Councilmember Annie McCary was successfully elected.
Mission Viejo
Councilmember Cynthia Vasquez was succesfully elected.
Vasquez will be the first Democrat ever and the first Latina ever to sit on the council.
San Clemente
Councilmember Mark Enmeier was succesfully elected.
Chris Duncan is now the first-ever Democratic Mayor in San Clemente.
Santa Ana
Mayor Valerie Amezcua was successfully elected; she will be the first woman in Santa Ana’s 135 year incorporated history to be elected mayor.
Councilmember Benjamin Vazquez was successfully elected, and Councilmembers Phil Bacerra and David Penaloza were successfully re-elected.
Seal Beach*
Mayor Joe Kalmick was successfully re-elected.
Democrats Stephanie Wade and Mariann Klinger are going to a runoff election in January 2024. The council majority will be decided by these runoff elections.
Stanton
Councilmember Donald Torres was successfully elected.
Torres will be the youngest Councilmember in the city’s history and the youngest Councilmember in Orange County.
This city now has a Democratic majority.
Democrats gained a record of 4 Orange County Superior Court judicial seats in 2022. These judges are the first line of judicial oversight – and often the only judicial oversight – to hear criminal, traffic, civil, probate, juvenile, family law, mental health, and homelessness cases.
Congratulations to Superior Court Judges:
- Claudia Alvarez
- Erin Beltran Rowe
- Michele Bell
- Israel Claustro
Education Board Contests
# of Democratic education board gains
# of Republican education board gains
*correction! previous version listed 7
Anaheim Elementary School District
Trustees Juan Álvarez and Ryan Ruelas were successfully re-elected.
Anaheim Union High School District
Trustee Jessica Guerrero was successfully elected.
Guerrero will be the youngest Trustee in the board’s history.
Brea-Olinda Unified School District
Trustee Chris Bacerra was successfully elected.
Buena Park School District
Trustee Brenda Estrada was successfully elected, and Trustees Jerry Frutos and Rhodia Shead were successfully re-elected without contest.
Estrada is now the youngest elected official in Orange County, and the only Latina to serve on the board.
Capistrano Unified School District
Trustee Gary Pritchard was successfully elected.
Capistrano Unified now has a Democratic plurality on the board, at 3-2-2.
Centralia Elementary School District
Trustees Luis Flores and Art Montez were successfully re-elected without contest.
Fountain Valley School District
Trustee Phu Nguyen was successfully elected.
Nguyen will be the first and only Vietnamese-American to sit on the board.
Fullerton School District
Trustee Ruthi Hanchett was successfully elected, and Trustee Aaruni Thakur was successfully re-elected without contest.
This district now has a Democratic majority at 3-1-1.
Fullerton Joint Union High School District
Trustee Lauren Klatzker was successfully re-elected, and Trustee Chester Jeng was successfully re-elected without contest.
Huntington Beach Union High School District
Trustees Bonnie Castrey and Diana Carey were successfully re-elected.
Irvine Unified School District
Trustee Katie McEwen was successfully elected.
Laguna Beach Unified School District
Trustee Joan Malczewski was successfully elected without contest, and Trustee James Kelly was successfully re-elected without contest.
La Habra City School District
Trustees Cynthia Aguirre, Adam Rogers, and Emily Pruitt were succesfully re-elected.
Los Alamitos Unified School District
Trustee Marlys Davidson was succesfully re-elected.
Magnolia School District
Trustee Annie Warne was succesfully elected without contest.
Newport-Mesa Unified School District
Trustee Michelle Murphy was successfully elected.
This board now has a de facto liberal majority at 3-3-1.
Ocean View School District
Trustee Jack Souders was successfully re-elected.
Orange Unified School District
Trustee Kris Erickson was successfully re-elected.
Placentia-Yorba Linda Unified School District
Trustee Carrie Buck was successfully re-elected.
Saddleback Valley Unified School District
Trustee Dan Walsh was successfully elected, and Trustee Barbara Schulman was succesfully re-elected.
This board now has a 4-1 Democratic majority.
Santa Ana Unified School District
Trustee Katie Brazer Aceves was successfully elected, and Trustee Hector Bustos was successfully elected without contest.
Bustos will be the youngest Trustee in the district’s history, as well as Santa Ana’s first documented LGBTQ+ official.
Savanna School District
Trustee Elizabeth Winkler was successfully elected, and Trustee John Shook was successfully re-elected without contest.
This board now has a Democratic majority.
Westminster School District
Trustees Jeremy Khalaf and Tina Gustin-Gurney were successfully re-elected without contest.
Coast Community College District
Trustee Jim Moreno was succesfully re-elected, and Trustee Elizabeth Dorn Parker was successfully elected without contest.
North Orange County Community College District
Trustees Barbara Dunsheath and Jeffrey Brown were succesfully re-elected, and Trustee Stephen Blount was succesfully re-elected without contest.
Rancho Santiago Community College District
Trustee John Hanna was succesfully re-elected.
South Orange County Community College District
Trustee Ryan Dack was succesfully elected.
Dack will be the youngest trustee in the board’s history.
Democrats gained a water board seat this year on the powerful Municipal Water District of Orange County (MWDOC) board. MWDOC is a wholesale water supplier and resource planning agency for most of the county. The board holds a weighted vote with the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California, which supplies Orange County water from the Colorado River.
Congratulations to Public Policy Professor Randall Crane, MWDOC Director!
Party Impact
not a comprehensive list
Texts to write home about.
# of initial MMS text messages sent
# of personalized text replies sent
# of separate text campaigns
The Democratic Party of Orange County focused on high-quality slate and persuasion texts for our candidates in 2022. Every slate text included our endorsed candidates from top to bottom, and persuasion texts largely highlighted hot button issues: women’s rights, homelessness, cost-of-living, the environment, and more. Click or tap the image to see some examples.
Don’t turn on airplane mode.
Recorded Call - English
Llamada Grabada - Español
Don’t turn on airplane mode.
# of recorded calls sent
One of the main responsibilities of any Party organization is to help turn our members out to vote. One of the many ways we pushed Democrats was by reminding them with recorded calls in multiple languages. Press play to hear some of the calls we sent directly to Democrats who hadn’t voted yet.
You got mail.
# of mail pieces sent
Mail is one of the most consistent methods to reach voters. After all, we do have every registered voter’s address. In 2022, the Party and its partners invested more than ever before in communicating via the post. Check out some of our mail pieces, with unique slates for several cities in Orange County.
website visits during general election season
Tech Tools 101.
The Democratic Party of Orange County launched innovative tech tools to help activists and voters easily help our candidates.
We are the only local Party organization in the nation to have our own mobile application – and with it, you could text your friends their endorsed Democratic slate, canvass your neighborhood directly, join your local Democratic events, and more.
With 128 endorsed candidates and ballot measures, we needed to make it easy for voters to find their endorsed slate from top to bottom. We were the only Party organization in the nation (national, state, or local) to have an endorsed candidate by address tool in 3 languages.
No consultant?
No problem.
hours spent directly consulting with candidates
The staff and officers of the Democratic Party of Orange County have been through a lot of campaigns – on the winning and losing sides. This year, we put the lessons we learned to use – putting hundreds of hours in to guiding our local municipal, school board, judicial, and water board candidates who didn’t have funds to hire consultants themselves.
This guidance resulted in better synergy up and down the ballot – which paid dividends in helping our county, state, and federal races with shared data and voter turnout.
Party staff also managed data sharing between 128 endorsed candidates and ballot measure campaigns, which allowed campaigns to more efficiently filter and parse out their targets.
Our sole purpose: connecting with voters.
The Party directly managed 58 voter contact accounts this cycle – allowing us to reach deeply in to campaigns to ensure Democratic data integration. Working with our own managed accounts and our Democratic candidate partners, we were able to collect a multitude of data points, which allows us to house data that candidates up and down the ballot will use in the long term. This adds to our work training candidates and campaigns to have authentic conversations at the doors, encouraging our candidates, campaigns, and activists to engage voters face-to-face.
doors knocked through Party accounts
Democratic slate IDs collected
Help us keep reaching new heights.
Running these programs is incredibly expensive work – and most of our funding is from individual donations like yours. Make a monthly contribution to invest in long-term organizing, candidate recruitment, paid communications, and our other programs to keep Orange County shifting blue.
(240 texts)
(1,250 calls)
(115 mail pieces)
(2,400 digital ad impressions)
Stay in touch.
THANK YOU TO OUR PARTNERS
not a comprehensive list
