Orange, Calif. — As polls close for the Orange County Board of Supervisors District 2 Special Election, Orange County Democrats are seeing early signs of a landslide victory for Katrina Foley, their endorsed candidate.
While ballots are still being counted, initial returns show Mayor Katrina Foley with a sizable margin of victory over her three Trump-acolyte Republican opponents.
“Voters overwhelmingly trust Mayor Katrina Foley to guide us through the pandemic,” said Democratic Party of Orange County Chairwoman Ada Briceño. “Many Democratic Clubs and allies worked very hard to support her, and it shows. Veteran’s groups, teachers, nurses, hotel workers, paramedics and business owners stood together because Mayor Foley finds common sense solutions to get the work done. We look forward to her service on the Board of Supervisors.”
“This victory is yet another indication that the Democratic Party of Orange County has the momentum and energy going into 2022,” said Democratic Party of Orange County Executive Director Ajay Mohan. “Many hundreds of people sent handwritten postcards, made phone calls, sent texts and knocked doors, thousands upon thousands of times. I’m incredibly proud of our Democratic community.”
The victory marks yet another historic milestone for Democratic voters in Orange County. The 2nd District seat has not been held by a Democrat since 1894, and this is the first time a Democratic woman will hold any seat on the Board of Supervisors.
The win reflects an ongoing Democratic sea change in Orange County. In the 2020 cycle, Orange County Democrats flipped two state senate seats and 20 local seats from red to blue, including city and school district seats in once deep-red areas like San Clemente, Huntington Beach, and Fountain Valley.
“I’m so glad we were able to have conversations with thousands of voters in this district because it overlaps with many of the Democratic Party’s top national and state priorities for 2022, including the 72nd Assembly District and 48th Congressional District,” said Mohan. Less than 19 months away, the 2022 Midterm elections are expected to once again attract national and statewide attention to Orange County.
About the Democratic Party of Orange County
Once famously known as “Reagan country” — President Reagan called Orange County the place where “all good Republicans go to die” — Orange County is rapidly shifting from a conservative Republican stronghold into a highly diverse Democratic metropolis.
Chairwoman Ada Briceño, a longtime labor organizer, Co-President of UNITE HERE Local 11, and Democratic National Committee member, is the first immigrant and second Latina to lead the Democratic Party of Orange County. Executive Director Ajay Mohan is the youngest person and first Indian-American in the party’s history to hold that position.
Orange County Democrats scored historic victories year after year in recent elections. In 2018, they famously swept all seven Congressional seats in Orange County. In 2019, Democrats overtook countywide voter registration to become the region’s leading political party. In 2020, Democrats flipped 20 local seats and two state senate seats from red to blue, including in deep-red areas of the county. Over the past four years, Democrats made a 5-point gain in voter registration, and now outpace the OC GOP by more than two points.
Orange County is the nation’s sixth largest county, with 3.2 million residents and more than 650,000 registered Democratic voters.
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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: MARCH 9, 2021