Election Results: California State Assembly
As the rest of the world has their eyes set on the Presidential Election, a tug-of-war between Democrats and Republicans for control of the California State Assembly is underway.
Democrats enter Tuesday morning holding 61 of 80 seats in the state's Assembly. Republicans hold 17 seats while one seat is held by an Independent Assembly-person and one vacant seat.
Here are the real-time election results for California State Assembly races for districts representing FOX 11's viewing area:
DISTRICT 36
Incumbent Republican Tom Lackey is looking to keep his seat over Democratic challenger Steve Fox. Lackey, who spent nearly 30 years with the California Highway Patrol before running for Assembly, has represented District 36 since 2014.
Lackey and Fox have a lengthy history of running against each other. Lackey edged Fox in the 2018 and 2016 elections and during the 2014 election, when Fox was the incumbent candidate for the state’s Assembly.
Fox was the District 36 Assembly-person from 2012 to 2014. In addition to representing District 36, Fox had also worked for Antelope Valley College and Antelope Valley Hospital, according to his campaign page.
DISTRICT 55
Incumbent and Republican Phillip Chen is seeking re-election against challenger and Democrat Andrew Rodriguez.
Chen ran for Assembly in 2016 after incumbent Ling-Ling Chang decided to not run for re-election. Chen, a small business owner, beat out Democratic candidate Gregg D. Fritchle for the District 55 seat that year.
Rodriguez is currently with the Walnut City Council and was previously the city’s mayor.
DISTRICT 59
Democrats incumbent Reggie Jones-Sawyer is looking to keep his seat against challenger and fellow Democrat Efren Martinez.
Jones-Sawyer has represented District 59 since 2012. Prior to running for Assembly, Jones-Sawyer was the vice president of Service Employees International Union Local 721, according to his campaign page.
Martinez is a former veteran and served as the chair for Economic Development Committee for the Second Supervisorial District’s Empowerment Congress.
DISTRICT 68
Republican incumbent Steven Choi is seeking re-election over Democratic challenger Melissa Fox.
Choi, a former Irvine Mayor, ran for Assembly in 2016 after incumbent and fellow Republican Donald Wagner decided to not run for re-election. He secured a seat after beating Sean Jay Panahi, a Democrat, in a landslide.
Fox currently serves on the Irvine City Council. Prior to her work with the city, Fox is also an attorney and a small businesswoman, according to her campaign page.
DISTRICT 72
The race features Democrat Diedre Nguyen and Republican Janet Nguyen. Diedre Nguyen is a lab cancer scientist and a Garden Grove City Councilmember. Janet Nguyen was elected state Senator for District 34 in 2014. Her bid for re-election in 2018 fell just short (by 0.8 percent of all votes) to Democrat Tom Umberg.
DISTRICT 74
Incumbent and Democrat Cottie Petrie-Norris is seeking re-election against Republican challenger Diane Dixon. Petrie-Norris secured a seat for Assembly after beating out Republican Matthew Harper in 2018. Prior to becoming an Assemblywoman, Petrie-Norris worked in finance and technology, according to her campaign page.
Dixon was first elected to Newport Beach City Council in 2014. Prior to that, she spent 40 years in the private sector as a business executive, according to her campaign page.
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