November’s blue wave washed away every Republican member of Congress who represented the one-time GOP stronghold of Orange County, leaving Democrats eagerly eyeing other important elected positions in the region.
After Todd Spitzer was elected district attorney, their attention turned to the recent special election to fill his Third District seat on the county Board of Supervisors. But the GOP proved that it still has signs of life.
This week, Irvine Mayor Don Wagner declared victory in the seven-candidate race. He held a more than 3,500-vote lead over former Democratic Congresswoman Loretta Sanchez, the only Democrat running in a district that represents Yorba Linda, most of Irvine, Tustin and other inland areas.
The district holds a nearly 4 percentage point Republican advantage, but multiple candidates threatened to split the party’s vote.
Wagner, who ran a tried-and-true Republican campaign focused on quality-of-life issues, will serve out the 21-month term and leave Republicans with four of five seats on the board.
Last November, Democrat Doug Chaffee eked out a victory in the Fourth District centered in Anaheim and Fullerton.
Democrats hoped to pick up this Third-District seat this year and then defeat Andrew Do in the First District next year to grab a board majority. But typically low special-election turnout doomed their strategy. We might see a Third-District rematch.
Sanchez, backed by public-sector unions, told the Orange County Register that she’s already mulling 2020.
We wish Wagner the best and encourage him to implement his promise to find a permanent solution to the county’s homeless problems.
He had opposed homeless camps, but wants to work with the board and courts to come up with something more suitable.
We’re also encouraged by his desire to reduce regulations that make it difficult to build badly needed housing in Orange County.
Republicans have shown that they can still win solid victories provided they focus on old-fashioned retail politics.
The big question is whether they can do that in 2020, when President Trump is once again the focus of voters’ attention.