A host of high-profile congressional seats in Orange County are up for grabs in the upcoming March primary, along with two key local races for county supervisor and a host of other local offices.
This week, voters get to see the official run down of faces vying for those seats as the filing deadline for candidates running for public office is on Friday.
Editor’s Note: Today, Voice of OC is launching an elections page for 2020, featuring guides, news stories, and links to vital information. You can find it at https://voiceofoc.org/elections.
Once again, Orange County will be a central battleground for control of Congress, as Republicans seek to win back the seats they lost last year to Democrats.
In the Congressional district with the closest results last year – the northern 39th District – it’ll be a rematch between Democrat incumbent Gil Cisneros and former state Assemblywoman Young Kim.
The election also will help decide a host of state and county-level positions, including whether two Republican county supervisors – Andrew Do and Don Wagner – lose their jobs or win four more years in office.
Do is being challenged by a host of Democrats, including Santa Ana Mayor Miguel Pulido, Westminster Councilman Sergio Contreras, and Garden Grove Councilwoman Kim Bernice Nguyen.
Wagner is facing off against Ashleigh Aitken, a current OC fairgrounds board member. Aitken, who father Wylie serves as Voice of OC’s board chairman, lost a tight race last November for Mayor of Anaheim.
On the judicial side, a total of 44 seats for OC Superior Court judge are up for election in March, and 42 of the judges had no opponents as of Thursday morning.
City Council and mayoral elections are scheduled for November, with candidate filing deadlines typically in August.
Everyone Who’s Started the Candidacy Process
Below is a rundown – as of Thursday morning – of all the candidates who have started the process of running in the March election, and which had qualified for the ballot. Many of them have not yet completed the process, and some may not finish by Friday’s deadline.
Under Orange County’s new election system in 2020, voters will be able to cast ballots in person up to 10 days before the election at official vote centers, or drop their ballots off at official ballot drop boxes throughout the county. The voting locations are expected to be finalized by early January.
Orange County Supervisor, 1st District
- Andrew Do, incumbent (officially on the ballot)
- Miguel A. Pulido, Santa Ana mayor
- Sergio Contreras, Westminster councilman
- Kim Bernice Nguyen, Garden Grove councilwoman
- Steve Rocco, former Orange Unified School District board member
Orange County Supervisor, 3rd District
- Donald P. Wagner, incumbent
- Ashleigh Aitken, former OC Fairgrounds board member
- Loretta Sanchez, former congresswoman (no longer running)
U.S. House of Representatives, 38th District
- Linda T. Sánchez, incumbent
- Paul Irving Jones
- Michael Tolar
U.S. House of Representatives, 39th District
- Gil Cisneros, incumbent
- Young Kim, former state Assembly member (officially on the ballot)
U.S. House of Representatives, 45th District
- Katie Porter, incumbent
- Greg Raths, “Decorated Combat Marine” (officially on the ballot)
- Mark Schuk, no ballot title yet
- Don Sedgwick, no ballot title yet
- Lisa Sparks, no ballot title yet
- Rhonda Furin, “Retired Teacher” (officially on the ballot)
- Christopher J. Gonzales, “Businessman/Attorney”
- Peggy Huang, deputy attorney general (officially on the ballot)
- Aditya Pai, no ballot title yet
U.S. House of Representatives, 46th District
- Lou Correa, incumbent
- Will Johnson, no ballot title yet
- Pablo Mendiolea, no ballot title yet
- Ed Rushman, no ballot title yet
- Hilaire Fuji Shioura, no ballot title yet
- James S. Waters, no ballot title yet
U.S. House of Representatives, 47th District
- Alan Lowenthal, incumbent
- John Briscoe, no ballot title yet
- Peter Mathews, no ballot title yet
- Sou Moua, Stanton planning commissioner (officially on the ballot)
- Amy Phan West, no ballot title yet
U.S. House of Representatives, 48th District
- Harley Rouda, incumbent
- Shastina Sandman, no ballot title yet
- John Thomas Schuelsler, no ballot title yet
- Michelle Steel, county supervisor (officially on the ballot)
- Brian Burley, no ballot title yet
- Christopher Engels, no ballot title yet
- James Brian Griffin, “Real Estate Broker” (officially on the ballot)
- Richard Mata, “Retired Educator/Parent”
- Tami Le Murillo, no ballot title yet
- Gary Sanchez, no ballot title yet
U.S. House of Representatives, 49th District
- Mike Levin, incumbent (officially on the ballot)
- Brian Maryott, mayor of San Juan Capistrano (officially on the ballot)
State Assembly, 55th District
- Phillip Chen, incumbent (officially on the ballot)
- Andrew E. Rodriguez, Walnut mayor
State Assembly, 65th District
- Sharon Quirk-Silva, incumbent (officially on the ballot)
- Cynthia Thacker, no ballot title yet
- Param Brar, no ballot title yet
State Assembly, 68th District
- Steven “Steve” Choi, incumbent
- Eugene Fields, former Orange County Register reporter
- Melissa Fox, Irvine councilwoman (officially on the ballot)
- Benjamin Yu, “Disabled Veteran/Businessman”
State Assembly, 69th District
- Tom Daly, incumbent
- Veronica Chavez, no ballot title yet
- Jon Paul White, no ballot title yet
State Assembly, 72nd District
- Tyler Diep, incumbent (officially on the ballot)
- Bijan Mohseni, no ballot title yet
- Diedre Nguyen, Graden Grove councilwoman (officially on the ballot)
State Assembly, 73rd District
- William “Bill” Brough, incumbent (officially on the ballot)
- Laurie Davies, Laguna Niguel mayor (officially on the ballot)
- Chris Duncan, no ballot title yet
- Melanie Eustice, former chief of administration under District Attorney Todd Spitzer
- Scott Rhinehart, “Business Services Director” (officially on the ballot)
- Ed Sachs, Mission Viejo councilman
- Richard Jackson, no ballot title yet
- Jeffrey D. Kitchen, no ballot title yet
State Assembly, 74th District
- Cottie Petrie-Norris, incumbent (officially on the ballot)
- Diane Dixon, Newport Beach mayor
- Kelly Ernby, no ballot title yet
State Senator, 29th District
- Ling Ling Chang, incumbent
- Joseph Cho, no ballot title yet
- Josh Newman, former state Senator
State Senator, 37th District
- John M. W. Moorlach, incumbent
- Katrina Foley, Costa Mesa mayor
- Dave Min, no ballot title yet
Orange County Board of Education, Area 1
- Rebecca “Beckie” Gomez, incumbent
- Jim Palmer, executive director of the Orange County Rescue Mission (officially on the ballot)
- Steve Rocco, former Orange Unified School District board member
Orange County Board of Education, Area 3
- Ken L. Williams, Jr., incumbent (officially on the ballot)
- Brian Harrington, no ballot title yet
- Andy Thorburn, “Educator/Nonprofit Director”
Orange County Board of Education, Area 4
- Jordan Brandman, Anaheim councilman
- Vicki Calhoun, “At-Risk Youth Counselor”
- Paulette Chaffee, no ballot title yet
- Tim Shaw, former Brea mayor (officially on the ballot)
Superior Court Judge, Office No. 1
- John S. Adams, incumbent (no challengers as of Thursday)
Superior Court Judge, Office No. 2
- Matthew S. Anderson, incumbent (no challengers as of Thursday)
Superior Court Judge, Office No. 3
- Julian W. Bailey, incumbent (no challengers as of Thursday)
Superior Court Judge, Office No. 4
- Tony Ferrentino, assistant district attorney (no challengers as of Thursday)
Superior Court Judge, Office No. 5
- Steven D. Bromberg, incumbent (no challengers as of Thursday)
Superior Court Judge, Office No. 6
- Debra Carrillo, incumbent (no challengers as of Thursday)
Superior Court Judge, Office No. 7
- Lewis W. Clapp, incumbent (no challengers as of Thursday)
Superior Court Judge, Office No. 8
- H. Shaina Colover, incumbent (no challengers as of Thursday)
Superior Court Judge, Office No. 9
- Scott Cooper, incumbent (no challengers as of Thursday)
Superior Court Judge, Office No. 10
- James L. Crandall, incumbent (no challengers as of Thursday)
Superior Court Judge, Office No. 11
- Andre De La Cruz, incumbent (no challengers as of Thursday)
Superior Court Judge, Office No. 12
- Jeremy D. Dolnick, incumbent (no challengers as of Thursday)
Superior Court Judge, Office No. 13
- Patrick H. Donahue, incumbent (no challengers as of Thursday)
Superior Court Judge, Office No. 14
- Jeffrey Ferguson, incumbent (no challengers as of Thursday)
Superior Court Judge, Office No. 15
- Jonathan Fish, incumbent (no challengers as of Thursday)
Superior Court Judge, Office No. 16
- Terri K. Flynn-Peister, incumbent (no challengers as of Thursday)
Superior Court Judge, Office No. 17
- Thomas A. Glazier, incumbent (no challengers as of Thursday)
Superior Court Judge, Office No. 18
- Martha K. Gooding, incumbent (no challengers as of Thursday)
Superior Court Judge, Office No. 19
- Kevin Haskins, incumbent (no challengers as of Thursday)
Superior Court Judge, Office No. 20
- Cynthia M. Herrera, incumbent (no challengers as of Thursday)
Superior Court Judge, Office No. 21
- David Hesseltine, incumbent (no challengers as of Thursday)
Superior Court Judge, Office No. 22
- Sherri L. Honer, incumbent (officially on the ballot)
- Paul Viriyapanthu, no ballot title yet
Superior Court Judge, Office No. 23
- Lance P. Jensen, incumbent (no challengers as of Thursday)
Superior Court Judge, Office No. 24
- Derek G. Johnson, incumbent (no challengers as of Thursday)
Superior Court Judge, Office No. 25
- Richard M. King, incumbent (no challengers as of Thursday)
Superior Court Judge, Office No. 26
- Kimberly Knill, incumbent (no challengers as of Thursday)
Superior Court Judge, Office No. 27
- Robert A. Knox, incumbent (no challengers as of Thursday)
Superior Court Judge, Office No. 28
- Sandy N. Leal, incumbent
- Robert J. Keenan, no ballot title yet
Superior Court Judge, Office No. 29
- Katherine E. Lewis, incumbent (no challengers as of Thursday)
Superior Court Judge, Office No. 30
- Elizabeth G. Macias, incumbent (no challengers as of Thursday)
Superior Court Judge, Office No. 31
- Michael S. McCartin, incumbent (no challengers as of Thursday)
Superior Court Judge, Office No. 32
- Thomas S. McConville, incumbent (no challengers as of Thursday)
Superior Court Judge, Office No. 33
- Kimberly Menninger, incumbent (no challengers as of Thursday)
Superior Court Judge, Office No. 34
- Joanne Motoike, incumbent (no challengers as of Thursday)
Superior Court Judge, Office No. 35
- Michael E. Perez, incumbent (no challengers as of Thursday)
Superior Court Judge, Office No. 36
- Sheila Recio, incumbent (no challengers as of Thursday)
Superior Court Judge, Office No. 37
- James Rogan, incumbent (no challengers as of Thursday)
Superior Court Judge, Office No. 38
- Maurice Sanchez, incumbent (no challengers as of Thursday)
Superior Court Judge, Office No. 39
- Glenda Sanders, incumbent (no challengers as of Thursday)
Superior Court Judge, Office No. 40
- Nathan R. Scott, incumbent (no challengers as of Thursday)
Superior Court Judge, Office No. 41
- Randall J. Sherman, incumbent (no challengers as of Thursday)
Superior Court Judge, Office No. 42
- Nicholas S. Thompson, incumbent (no challengers as of Thursday)
Superior Court Judge, Office No. 43
- Anthony Ufland, incumbent (no challengers as of Thursday)
Superior Court Judge, Office No. 44
- Nathan Vu, incumbent (no challengers as of Thursday)
Democratic Party of OC Central Committee, 55th District
- Cynthia Aguirre, appointed incumbent (officially on the ballot)
- Jeffrey B. LeTourneau, no ballot title yet
- Molly A. Muro, incumbent (officially on the ballot)
- Isabella Rubio, “Legislative Field Representative”
- Sean Thomas, “Small Business Owner” (officially on the ballot)
- Gail C. Cain, “Small Business Owner” (officially on the ballot)
- Lourdes Cruz, no ballot title yet
- Natalie Estrada, “Special Education Teacher” (officially on the ballot)
Democratic Party of OC Central Committee, 65th District
- Arnel Dino, no ballot title yet
- Mirvette Judeh, no ballot title yet
- Ed Lopez, North OC Community College District board member (officially on the ballot)
- John Vassiliades, incumbent (officially on the ballot)
- Jose Paolo Magcalas, Anaheim Elementary School District board member
- Marisol Ramirez, no ballot title yet
- Mike Rodriguez, “Teacher” (officially on the ballot)
- Patricia Tutor, “Retired” (officially on the ballot)
- Andy J. Lewandowski, “Business Owner” (officially on the ballot)
- Bruce W. Johnson, “Nonprofit Director/Accountant” (officially on the ballot)
- Eric Barlow, “Community Volunteer”
- Ada Briceño, OC Democratic Party chairwoman (officially on the ballot)
- Jose Trinidad Castaneda, “Climate Community Organizer” (officially on the ballot)
Democratic Party of OC Central Committee, 68th District
- Florice Orea Hoffman, “Workers Rights Attorney” (officially on the ballot)
- Melissa Fox, Irvine councilwoman (officially on the ballot)
- Ted Perle, incumbent (officially on the ballot)
- David R. Sonneborn, incumbent (officially on the ballot)
- Ken Wyant, incumbent (officially on the ballot)
- Beatriz “Betty” Valencia, “Businesswoman”
- Laura Villa, “Businesswoman”
- Naz Hamid, “Mother/Automation Director”
- Brian Harrington, no ballot title yet
- Grant Henninger, no ballot title yet
- Bill Hongman, “Retired Emergency Physician” (officially on the ballot)
- Mani Kang, no ballot title yet
- Tammy Kim, “Non-profit Director/Educator”
- Meredith Marquis, “Business Owner” (officially on the ballot)
- Bridget R. McConaughy, no ballot title yet
- Joe McLaughlin, no ballot title yet
- Tina Arias Miller, no ballot title yet
- Monica Barranco-Leon, no ballot title yet
- Avinder Chawla, no ballot title yet
- Nathaniel Fernandez Epstein, no ballot title yet
- Eugene W. Fields, no ballot title yet
Democratic Party of OC Central Committee, 69th District
- Rickk Montoya, no ballot title yet
- Avelino Valencia III, no ballot title yet
- Jannelle Welker, no ballot title yet
- Thai Viet Phan, “Local Government Attorney”
- Lupe Ramirez, no ballot title yet
- Isuri S. Ramos, no ballot title yet
- Jose F. Moreno, no ballot title yet
- Walter Muneton, no ballot title yet
- Luis Aleman, no ballot title yet
- Gloria Alvarado, no ballot title yet
- Juan Gabriel Alvarez, “Teacher/Parent”
- Ariana Arestegui, “Legal Clerk”
- Giovanni Chavez, no ballot title yet
- Veronica Chavez, no ballot title yet
- Ivan Enriquez, no ballot title yet
- Manny Escamilla, “Urban Planner”
- Paul Gonzales, no ballot title yet
- Ada Tamayo Jones, no ballot title yet
- Khoa Le, no ballot title yet
- Jessie Lopez, “Diversity Development Coordinator”
- Martin Lopez, no ballot title yet
Democratic Party of OC Central Committee, 72nd District
- Benny Diaz, no ballot title yet
- Michelle “Misha” Houser, “STEM Education Director” (officially on the ballot)
- Mark Anthony Paredes, no ballot title yet
- Victor Valladares, no ballot title yet
- Oscar D. Rodriguez, “Operations Finance Manager”
- Mary Tromp, no ballot title yet
- Jaci Iannello, “Financial Planner”
- Louise Larsen, “Communications Director”
- Shayna Lathus, “Teacher” (officially on the ballot)
- Sergio Escobar, “Voter Outreach Coordinator”
- Libby Frolichman, “Community Volunteer” (officially on the ballot)
- Karen A. Hinks, no ballot title yet
- Kathia Canlas, no ballot title yet
Democratic Party of OC Central Committee, 73rd District
- Anne Cameron, “Psychotherapist” (officially on the ballot)
- Deborah Cunningham-Skurnik, incumbent (officially on the ballot)
- Anita Narayana, incumbent (officially on the ballot)
- Denise Penn, “Nonprofit Executive Director” (officially on the ballot)
- Gary Sanchez, no ballot title yet
- Sudi Farokhnia, no ballot title yet
- Alan Fenning, “Retired Attorney” (officially on the ballot)
- Lulu Hammad, no ballot title yet
- Lara Horgan, “Community Volunteer” (officially on the ballot)
- Emma Jenson, no ballot title yet
- Danna Lewis, “Mental Health Professional” (officially on the ballot)
- Jenna Beck, “Senior Proposal Writer” (officially on the ballot)
Democratic Party of OC Central Committee, 74th District
- Janice I. Burstin, incumbent (officially on the ballot)
- Jonathan Adler, incumbent (officially on the ballot)
- Marleen Gillespie, “Retired Mathematics Teacher” (officially on the ballot)
- Dean Inada, incumbent (officially on the ballot)
- Jill Nelke, no ballot title yet
- Jane Stoever, no ballot title yet
- Becky Visconti, no ballot title yet
- Bethany Webb, “Parent/Realtor” (officially on the ballot)
- Lauren Johnson-Norris, “City Commissioner/Attorney”
- Aarti Kaushal, no ballot title yet
- Anne Mohr, no ballot title yet
- Lamba Najib, no ballot title yet
- Jaime Gomez, no ballot title yet
- Boris Gresely, no ballot title yet
- Zeta Heiter, no ballot title yet
- Iyad Afalqa, no ballot title yet
- Kalvin Alvarez, no ballot title yet
- Samila Amanyraoufpoor, no ballot title yet
- Mary Carter, “Community Volunteer” (officially on the ballot)
- Andrew Gallagher, “Filmmaker” (officially on the ballot)
Republican Party of OC Central Committee, 55th District
- Tim Shaw, former Brea mayor (officially on the ballot)
- Gene Hernandez, incumbent (officially on the ballot)
- Craig Young, “Attorney/Investor/Pastor” (officially on the ballot)
- Brett R. Barbre, incumbent
- Jon S. Fleischman, publisher of Flash Report
- Anthony Johnson, no ballot title yet
- Elvira Moreno, no ballot title yet
- Michael Navarro, “Life Skills Coach”
- Melissa A. Salinas, Lowell Joint School District board member
- Rhonda Shader, Placentia mayor
- Dana P. Swart, no ballot title yet
- Chad Wanke, Placentia councilman
Republican Party of OC Central Committee, 65th District
- Steve Sarkis, appointed incumbent (officially on the ballot)
- David John Shawver, incumbent (officially on the ballot)
- Cynthia Thacker, appointed incumbent (officially on the ballot)
- Leroy Mills, “Retired USAF Officer” (officially on the ballot)
- Baron Night, incumbent (officially on the ballot)
- Dewayne Allen Normand, no ballot title yet
- James S. Waters, “Retired Postal Worker” (officially on the ballot)
- Marvin “Ace” Aceves, no ballot title yet
- Kevin Carr, no ballot title yet
- Nicholas Dunlap, no ballot title yet
- Bobby Florentz, no ballot title yet
- Amy Fremen, “Rehabilitation Healthcare Professional” (officially on the ballot)
Republican Party of OC Central Committee, 68th District
- Mark William Bucher, no ballot title yet
- Austin Lumbard, appointed incumbent (officially on the ballot)
- Todd Spitzer, Orange County district attorney (officially on the ballot)
- Fred M. Whitaker, incumbent
- Deborah Pauly, incumbent (officially on the ballot)
- Deepak Singh Sahni, “Small Business Owner”
- Benjamin Yu, no ballot title yet
- Deanne Tate-Johnson, no ballot title yet
- Scott “Rolling Thunder” Voigts, Lake Forest councilman and OC Supervisor Don Wagner’s chief of staff
- Robert Walters, “Businessman” (officially on the ballot)
- Kristin Sands Manna, no ballot title yet
- Trevor O’Neil, Anaheim councilman
- John Park, “Entrepreneur/Company President” (officially on the ballot)
- Ray Gennawey, “Orange County Gang Prosecutor” (officially on the ballot)
- Esther Koh, “Businesswoman” (officially on the ballot)
- Sandra Angel, no ballot title yet
- Valentina Bankhead, no ballot title yet
- Denis Bilodeau, former chief of staff to OC Supervisor Shawn Nelson
Republican Party of OC Central Committee, 69th District
- Alberta Christy, appointed incumbent (officially on the ballot)
- Cecilia “Ceci” Iglesias, Santa Ana councilwoman
- Thomas Anthony Gordon, no ballot title yet
- Brian Harrington, “Marketing Consultant” (officially on the ballot)
- Gale Oliver Jr., no ballot title yet
- Karina Onofre, no ballot title yet
- Kaitlin “Katie” Pringle, no ballot title yet
- Timothy “Tim” Ryan Whitacre, district director for OC Supervisor Michelle Steel
- Jon Paul White, no ballot title yet
- Gisela Contreras, “Businesswoman/Parent”
- Lewis Adame, no ballot title yet
Republican Party of OC Central Committee, 72nd District
- Andrew Do, OC supervisor (officially on the ballot)
- Jeffrey Barke, appointed incumbent (officially on the ballot)
- Kermit Marsh, no ballot title yet
- Zack McCready, “Business Owner/Attorney” (officially on the ballot)
- Russ Neal, “Consulting Electrical Engineer” (officially on the ballot)
- Gracey Van Der Mark, “Parent” (officially on the ballot)
- Eva Weisz, “Community Volunteer”
- Amy Phan West, no ballot title yet
- Ryan Billings, field representative for state Assemblyman Tyler Diep
- Elizabeth Burke, no ballot title yet
- Brian Burley, no ballot title yet
- Austin J. Edsell, “Orange County Small Businessman” (officially on the ballot)
- Patrick Harper, no ballot title yet
- Peter Amundson, “Small Businessman” (officially on the ballot)
Republican Party of OC Central Committee, 73rd District
- Lisa Bartlett, OC supervisor (officially on the ballot)
- Laurie Davies, Laguna Niguel mayor (officially on the ballot)
- Mike Munzing, Aliso Viejo councilman
- Ed Sachs, incumbent (officially on the ballot)
- Art Sanchez, “Realtor”
- Jake Vollebregt, no ballot title yet
- Nick Wilson, “Property Manager”
- Kevin Perkins, no ballot title yet
- Greg Raths, Mission Viejo mayor (officially on the ballot)
- DD Dominguez, “Business Development Manager” (officially on the ballot)
- Elaine Gennawey, Laguna Niguel councilwoman (officially on the ballot)
- Shawn M. Gordon, “Computer Consultant/Businessowner” (officially on the ballot)
- Diane L. Harkey, former state Assemblywoman
- Linda Kight, “Commercial Property Manager”
- Alexaner John Paul Loniak, “Intern/Student Senator”
- Chris Boyle, no ballot title yet
- Candice Burroughs, no ballot title yet
Republican Party of OC Central Committee, 74th District
- Thomas A. “T.J.” Fuentes, incumbent
- Will O’Neill, Newport Beach councilman
- Erik K. Weigand, no ballot title yet
- Stelian Onufrei, no ballot title yet
- Scott Peotter, no ballot title yet
- Mike Posey, no ballot title yet
- Emily Sanford, “Retired Navy Nurse” (officially on the ballot)
- Jennifer Sterling, no ballot title yet
- Eric Vu, no ballot title yet
- Mike Gasca, no ballot title yet
- Barbara George, no ballot title yet
- Mike Glenn, no ballot title yet
- Beth Johns Holder, no ballot title yet
- Alison Burchette, no ballot title yet
- Ben Chapman, “Entrepreneur”
- Katherine Daigle, “Small Business Woman”
- Diane Dixon, Newport Beach mayor
- Annette Eliot, no ballot title yet
- Kelly Ernby, “Deputy District Attorney”
- Spencer Finkbeiner, no ballot title yet
Nick Gerda covers county government and Santa Ana for Voice of OC. You can contact him at ngerda@voiceofoc.org.