GOP’s Nguyen top vote-getter in Orange County state Senate primary
Republican Janet Nguyen was, by a large margin, the top vote-getter over Democratic former Assemblyman Jose Solorio in an Orange County primary race Tuesday that sets the stage for the two to square off again in the November general election.
The contest was viewed by Democrats as a key part of their attempt to regain a supermajority in the Senate this year.
The contest is to fill a vacancy in the 34th Senate District because term limits prevented incumbent Democratic Sen. Lou Correa of Santa Ana from seeking reelection.
Nguyen is a member of the Orange County Board of Supervisors and received 51.5% of the vote, according to the unofficial final tally on election night. Solorio received 34% and Republican Long Pham finished third with 14.5%. He is a former Orange County education board member.
To regain a two-thirds majority, Democrats have to win 13 of the 20 Senate seats on the ballot in the November general election.
Even then, Democratic Sen. Mark DeSaulnier (D-Concord) is running for Congress, and was the top vote-getter in his race Tuesday. If he wins in November, a special election will be needed to fill that seat.
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