Republican Andy Vidak wins Central Valley state Senate seat

Republican state Sen. Andy Vidak defeated Democratic challenger Luis Chavez on Tuesday in a Central Valley district seen as a key battleground as Democrats tried to regain a supermajority in the upper house.

Vidak’s win, coupled with Republican Janet Nguyen’s defeat of Democrat Jose Solorio in an Orange County race, means Democrats were unable to regain their supermajority in the state Senate – they are one member short.

Vidak, a 49-year-old cherry farmer from Hanford, first won the Senate seat in a special election in July 2013. Voter registration in the 14th District is 49% Democratic and 29% Republican.

Chavez, 35, is a member of the Fresno Unified School District board and an aide to the Fresno City Council. He placed second in the June primary, which spurred Democratic leaders to provide a flood of support for him in the runoff.

Chavez was one of only two state senator candidates for whom Gov. Jerry Brown taped television commercials for the general election.

“The Valley has been hit hard by the drought. That’s why I’m supporting Luis Chavez for state Senate,” Brown said in the ad. “Luis and I are teaming up to pass Proposition 1, the California water bond.”