Preliminary March 5 election results continue to show a strong lead for current California State Sen. Janet Nguyen, who is looking to fill Orange County Board of Supervisor Andrew Do’s seat for the county’s First District, after he termed out.
According to the numbers on March 10, Ms. Nguyen leads Cypress Councilwoman Frances Marquez with 44 percent of the vote compared to Ms. Marquez’s 25 percent. Van Tran, Supervisor Do’s chief of staff, trails with 18 percent followed by Kimberly Ho and Michael Vo, each with 6 percent.
A Republican and former board of supervisor from 2007 to 2014, Ms. Nguyen received endorsements from the Republican Party of Orange County, the Association of Orange County Deputy Sheriffs, the California Young Republicans, and several Orange County-based assembly and city councilors.
A candidate can avoid a runoff with more than 50 percent of the vote. If preliminary results stand, Ms. Nguyen will face Ms. Marquez in the Nov. 5 general election.
Known for her “firsts,” Ms. Nguyen was the first Vietnamese American elected to the State Senate in 2022; the first female supervisor to represent Orange County’s First District; and the first Asian American to serve on the Board of Supervisors, as well as the youngest, according to her campaign website.
She wasn’t immediately available for comment.
According to her campaign website, Ms. Marquez has called for transparency and to “root out” corruption at Cypress City Hall, and would bring accountability and oversight to the board of supervisors.
A Democrat, she is endorsed by Planned Parenthood, the Democratic Party of Orange County, several workers’ unions including the National Union of Healthcare Workers, and several Orange County-based councilors, democratic clubs, and congressmembers including Congresswoman Katie Porter.
The other seat up for grabs on the board of supervisors is for the Third District, where incumbent Supervisor Don Wagner has 65 percent of the vote in a race against Irvine Mayor Farrah Khan who has, per updated results, 35 percent.
Ms. Khan, who has served on the Irvine City Council since 2018, two of those years as mayor, said she would bring new resources to the county, fight for working families, and improve quality of life, according to her campaign website.
Mr. Wagner told The Epoch Times in an emailed statement despite votes still being counted he’s confident his large lead will last and called the campaign against him an “uninspired, dishonest, and cynical,” that “voters casually swatted away.”
He said he was looking to further represent constituents of the district.
“I want specifically to thank my family, staff, volunteers and supporters for all the hard work they put into this campaign, so that we can continue to prioritize the interests of the people of the Third District,” Mr. Wagner said.
During his next term, Mr. Wagner said he will continue to prioritize public safety and stand with law enforcement, prioritize balanced budgets, for no new taxes in the county, and to double down on tackling the mental health and homelessness crisis in Orange County.
Ms. Khan didn’t immediately return a request for comment.
Election results will be updated every weekday at 5 p.m. until they are finalized, according to the county registrar’s website.
