Huntington Beach Councilman Holds Wide Lead in Election for California Senate Seat

Republican Tony Strickland, who ran on reducing regulations and taxes and getting tough on crime, leads Democrat Jimmy Pham.

Then-Mayor Tony Strickland speaks at the Surfers Hall of Fame celebration in Huntington Beach, Calif., on Aug. 4, 2023. John Fredricks/The Epoch Times

Republican Tony Strickland declared victory in the Senate District 36 Special Election on Tuesday.

“We live in an oasis,” Strickland said at a press conference in Huntington Beach, where he serves as a city councilman. “People are leaving this state to go to the desert in Texas and Arizona. People are going to the cold in Idaho.”