For Irvine residents, the ballot for the November 3 election is packed. In addition to the race for Irvine City Council and mayor, president of the United States, and state ballot measures, Irvine voters will also have the opportunity to vote in a Congressional election, a State Senate race and two State Assembly races. 

Election for Congress

In the battle for the 45th Congressional District, which includes Irvine, Villa Park, Laguna Hills, Lake Forest and North Tustin, first-term Democratic Representative Katie Porter is challenged by Republican Mission Viejo City Councilman Greg Raths. 

Porter is the first Democrat to represent the 45th District since the district was formed in 1983. Porter has gained national attention with the use of a white board in Congressional committees, along with an interrogation-style method of questioning during Congressional hearings.

The congresswoman, a former Professor of Law at UC Irvine, garnered both acclaim and criticism on Capitol Hill for her questioning of the likes of JPMorgan Chase Chairman and CEO Jamie Dimon and Robert R. Redfield, Director of the Centers for Disease Control. Among the key message points of her campaign are gun control, housing affordability and health care. She has also been one of the top political fundraisers in all of Congress. 

Considering the 45th District’s Republican-leaning voting trend over the past decade, Porter’s progressive-leaning politics will undoubtedly stand out in comparison to Raths’ conservative viewpoints. Republicans have a slight voter registration advantage in the district, about 3,000 voters, which accounts for roughly 0.6% of voters.

Raths, a veteran with more than two decades of service in the U.S. Marine Corps., is the former mayor of Mission Viejo where he currently serves as city councilman. Coupled with the on-going conversation about building a veterans cemetery in Irvine, voters might find hope in Raths’ mission to support veteran causes.   

Raths, who defeated five other GOP candidates for this congressional seat earlier this year in the primary, is campaigning with a message of lowering taxes, lowering health care costs and changing back-tax law to allow for state and local taxes (SALT) to be deducted, including mortgage deductions. 

In terms of fundraising, Porter is ahead. Porter’s re-election campaign generated more than $8 million, according to OpenSecrets.org. While Raths’ campaign raised less than $1 million.  

Election for State Senate

The 37th District of the California State Senate will feature a race between Republican incumbent Senator John Moorlach (R-Costa Mesa) and Democrat challenger Dave Min, an Irvine resident and UC Irvine law professor. 

Moorlach has a rich history of political experience in Orange County. His career began in 1995, when he was elected Orange County Treasurer-Tax Collector. In 2006, the Republican was elected to the County Board of Supervisors, on which he served for nearly a decade. Moorlach went on to defeat current 3rd District Supervisor Don Wagner for the State Senate seat in 2015.

While Min has never held public office, his campaign has received endorsements from some of California’s top democratic leaders, including Secretary of State Alex Padilla, current Vice Presidential Candidate Kamala Harris, and California Governor Gavin Newsom. The 37th District seat has been controlled by the Republican Party since redistricting took place in 2011.

One complicating factor in the race is that the California Correctional Peace Officers Association (the prison guard union) has committed to spend nearly $1 million against Moorlach, according to state campaign filing reports. 

Election for Two State Assembly Races 

Voters will also have a chance to decide on California State Assembly elections for two neighboring districts in Orange County. In California State Assembly District 68, Irvine city councilmember Melissa Fox, a Democrat, will be running against Republican incumbent Assemblyman Steven Choi, who is a former Irvine mayor.  

Choi has a long tenure of political dealings in Orange County, particularly Irvine. In 2004, Choi was elected to the Irvine City Council, then mayor of Irvine in 2012. This year, Choi is adamant about protecting the public from COVID-19, and improving health care. As one of his main points of emphasis, Choi co-authored Assembly Bill 251, which provides an income tax credit for family caregivers, giving families the ability to purchase medical equipment, transportation and/or make needed modification to their homes.

Choi has endorsements from several public office holders in Irvine including Irvine City Councilman Anthony Kou, and current Irvine City Councilman Michael Carroll. Choi is also endorsed by Irvine Mayor Christina Shea, and has support from the Association of Orange County Deputy Sheriffs and the California Republican Party.

Fox is not seeking re-election to the Irvine City Council in November, insead trying to unseat Choi, who is running for a third-term. In Irvine, Fox has become well-known for her local political blog. Her campaign is focused on housing affordability, health care, education and a number of other issues. And she has made COVID-19 “response and recovery” her top priority in her message to voters. 

Fox has received endorsements from both federal and state leadership, including U.S. Senator Dianne Feinstein, U.S. Representative Katie Porter, California Governor Gavin Newsom, along with several organizations, including the California Democratic Party.  

In Assembly District 74, which covers portions of Irvine, Costa Mesa and Huntington Beach, incumbent Cottie Petrie-Norris and Newport Beach Councilwoman Diane Dixon will compete.

The Democratic incumbent Petrie-Norris, a resident of Laguna Beach, has held office since 2018, after she defeated Republican incumbent Matthew Harper. This round, Petrie-Norris will be running with a focus on education and schools, along with a wildfire prevention and response program. Petrie-Norris will look to defend her seat against Dixon with endorsements from the Association of California State Supervisors, the California Professional Firefighters, California Governor Gavin Newsom and Senator Dianne Feinstein. 

Dixon, a Newport Beach City Council member and former mayor, is working to defeat Petrie-Norris with a focus on financial stability, and a plan to decrease the state’s unfunded pension liability. Dixon also has plans to create a Harbor Department to manage the harbor infrastructure in Newport Harbor. Dixon carries an endorsement from Orange County Supervisor and congressional candidate Michelle Steel, along with the Howard Jarvis Taxpayers Association and former Calfironia Governor Pete Wilson. 

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