Candidate filing closed on March 16 for elective offices on the June primary ballot. Here’s who is running in contests for congressional, state and county offices (with the exception of judicial offices, which will be listed later). Candidates’ party affiliation (when known) and ballot title follow their names.
CONGRESS
40th Congressional District
Rep. Young Kim (Republican), U.S. Representative. Young Kim is a former Assemblywoman who defeated Democratic Rep. Gil Cisneros in 2020.
Greg Raths (Republican) Retired Fighter Pilot. Current member of Mission Viejo City Council who has run unsuccessfully for Congress in 2020, 2016 and 2014.
Asif Mahmoud (Democrat), Physician Internal Medicine.
Nick Taurus (Republican), Junk Hauler. Taurus a fringe GOP activist with an unusual ballot title.
45th Congressional District
Rep. Michelle Steel (Republican), U.S. Representative. Then-county Supervisor Steel defeated Democrat Rep. Harley Rouda in 2020 (Rouda had defeated GOP Rep. Dana Rohrabacher in 2018). Steel also served two terms on the state Board of Equalization.
Jay Chen (Democrat), no ballot designation. Chen unsuccessfully challenged Rep. Ed Royce in 2012.
Long K. Pham (Republican), Business Owner/Nuclear Engineer. Pham is a perennial candidate and former member of the Orange County Board of Education.
46th Congressional District
Rep. Lou Correa (Democrat), United States Congressmember. A traditional liberal, Correa is running for a fourth term in Congress, He has continuously occupied various elected offices continuously since 1998, including state Assembly, state Senate and Orange County Board of Supervisors.
Mike Ortega (Democrat), Biomedical Engineer. Ortega is a progressive political activist challenging Correa from the Left.
Christopher J. Gonzalez (Republican), Businessman/Attorney.
Mike Nguyen (Republican), Broker/Business Owner.
Felix Rocha, Jr. (Republican), Retired Federal Agent. A former member of the Orange County Board of Education who ran unsuccessfully for the state Assembly in 1998.
47th Congressional District
Rep. Katie Porter (Democrat), U.S. Representative. Porter was elected in 2018, defeating GOP Rep. Mimi Walters during the countywide Democratic sweep. A progressive and freakishly strong fundraiser.
Scott Baugh (Republican), Orange County Businessowner. A former Assemblyman and GOP Assembly leader who served as OC Republican Party Chairman for 10 years.
Brian Burley (Republican), Small Business Owner. Ran unsuccessfully for Congress.
Amy Phan West (Republican), Small Businesswoman. First-time candidate.
Errol Webber (Republican), Documentary Film Producer.
49th Congressional District (OC and San Diego counties)
Rep. Mike Levin (Democrat), US Representative 49th District. Levin was elected in the 2018 Democratic sweep. He has hewed a strongly left-wing line since then.
Renee Taylor (Republican), Cybersecurity/Military Officer.
Brian Maryott (Republican), Certified Financial Planner. Ran unsuccessfully for the same district in 2020 (losing by 5 points to Levin) and in 2018.
Lisa Bartlett (Republican), County Supervisor/Businesswoman. Bartlett is a former Dana Point councilmember who is nearing the end of eight years on the Orange County Board of Supervisors.
Christopher Rodriquez (Republican), Councilmember/Businessman/Farmer: young, conservative veteran and Oceanside City Councilman.
Josiah O’Neil, Sheriff’s Deputy/Businessman
Nadia Bahia Smalley, Business Woman/Hospice/LVN
STATE (OC-based candidates)
34th Senate District
Sen. Tom Umberg (Democrat), Senator/Small Businessowner. It’s unclear what small business Umberg owns, but he has been an elected official in one way or another, off and on, since 1990.
Rhonda Shader (Republican), Mayor/Small Businessowner. Shader is the mayor of Placentia.
36th Senate District
Assemblywoman Janet Nguyen (Republican), California Assemblywoman/Businessowner. Nguyen is a dogged, determined campaigner. She began her elective career as a member of the Garden Grove City Council, moving up to the OC Board of Supervisors, and from there to the state Senate. She was defeated for re-election in 2018 by Tom Umberg, and was subsequently elected to the Assembly in 2020 by knocking off GOP Assemblyman Tyler Nguyen, who alienated GOP constituencies by supporting liberal union measures such as AB5.
Kim Carr (Democrat), City of Huntington Beach Councilmember.
38th Senate District
Matt Gunderson (Republican), Small Business Owner.
Joe Kerr (Democrat), Retired Fire Captain. Kerr was the long-time head of the OC Firefighters union. In 2018, he ran unsuccessfully for the OC Board of Supervisors from north Orange County’s 4th District. He was set to run again for the OC Board of Supervisors this year, but from the 5th District, until he was drawn out of the district, leading him to shift gears and run for the state Senate, instead.
Catherine Blakespear (Democrat), Mayor of Encinitas
59th Assembly District
Assemblyman Phillip Chen (Republican), Assemblyman/Small Businessowner. This seat is entirely in Orange County, and Chen is running unopposed – with the caveat that a qualified write-in candidate who received at least one vote would then qualify for the top-two run-off in November.
64th Assembly District
Rose Espinoza (Democrat), Executive Director/Businesswoman
67th Assembly District
Assemblywoman Sharon Quirk-Silva (Democrat), Assemblymember/Teacher. The former Fullerton city councilmember seeks to extend her tenure in the state legislature.
Param Brar (Democrat), Supply Chain Management.
Sou Moua (Republican), CAD Designer.
68th Assembly District (filing closes March 16)
Avelino Valencia (Democrat), no ballot title yet. Valencia is a member of the Anaheim City Council and is District Director for Assemblyman Tom Daly, the retiring incumbent.
Bulmaro “Boomer” Vicente (Democrat), Policy Director.
Mike Tardif (Republican), Small Business Owner.
James Wallace (Republican), Commercial Decorator.
70th Assembly District (filing closes March 16)
Emily Hibard (Republican), Small Business Owner
Tri Ta (Republican), Mayor/Small Businessowner. Ta is the mayor of Westminster.
Dierdre Thu-Ha Nguyen (Democrat), Cancer Researcher/Councilmember. Nguyen is a member of the Garden Grove City Council.
Kimberly Ho (Republican), Westminster Councilwoman/Entrepreneur.
Ted Biu (Republican), City Councilman/Businessman. Bui is a member of the Fountain Valley City Council.
Jason Gray (Republican), City Commissioner.
71st Assembly District
Kate Sanchez (Republican), Businesswoman/Taxpayer Advocate.
Matt Rahn (Republican), Mayor/Educator/Businessman. Rahn is the mayor of Temecula.
72nd Assembly District
Judie Mancuso (Democrat), Nonprofit Executive/Businesswoman
Benjamin Yu (Republican), Businessman/Disabled Veteran.
Diane Dixon (Republican), City Council Member. Dixon is a member of the Newport Beach City Council who narrowly lost a challenge to Assemblywoman Cottie Petrie-Norris in 2020.
73rd Assembly District
Assemblyman Steven “Steve” Choi (Republican), Assemblyman/Educator/Businessman. Choi is the former Mayor of Irvine who was first elected to the Assembly in 2016.
Assemblywoman Cottie Petrie-Norris (Democrat), California State Assemblymember. Petrie-Norris has tried to carve a middle patbh since being elected to the Assembly in 2018, and is now thrown into thr same district as Choi.
74th Assembly District
Assemblywoman Laurie Davies (Republican), California Assemblywoman/Businessowner.
Chris Duncan (Democrat), Mayor Pro Tem. Duncan is a member of the San Clemente City Council.
Board of Equalization, 4th District (Orange County candidates)
David Dodson (Democrat), State Board Supervisor. Dodson is career Board of Equalization employee and public employee union activist. He’s the only Democrat on the ballot
Matthew Harper (Republican), Businessman/Business Owner. Harper served a single term in the Assembly and was defeated by Cottie Petrie-Norris in 2018. His prior elective service include stints on the Huntington Beach City Council and the Huntington Beach Union High School District.
John F. Kelly (Republican), Businessman. Kelly served a single term on the Tustin City Council in the late 1980s.
Erik Peterson (Republican), Huntington Beach City Council Member/Business Owner. Peterson is a conservative who is termed off the HB City Council.
Denis R. Bilodeau (Republican), Taxpayer Advocate/Engineer: Bilodeau is a long-time member of the Orange County Water District Board of Directors, and a former member of the Orange City Council.
Konstantis Roditis (Republican), No ballot title. Roditis ran unsuccessfully for state Controller in 2018, suffering a lopsided defeat by incumbent Betty Yee.
COUNTY OF ORANGE
Superintendent of Public Instruction
Stefan Bean (Republican) School Superintendent/Parent
Al Mijares (Democrat), Orange County Superintendent of Schools
Orange County Board of Education, Area 2
Mari Barke (Republican) Orange County Board of Education, Trustee Area 2
Martha Flour (Unknown) Retired School Boardmember
Christopher R. Ganiere (Unknown), Architect
Orange County Board of Education, Area 4
Tim Shaw (Republican) Appointed Member, Orange County Board of Education, Trustee Area 4.
Paulette Chaffee (Democrat) Teacher/Nonprofit Boardmember
Ellisa Kim (Unknown), Business Owner/Parent
David M. Choi (Unknown), Accountant
Orange County Board of Education, Area 5
Lisa Sparks (Republican) Orange County Board of Education, Trustee Area 5
Sherine Smith (Democrat), Retired School Superintendent
OC Supervisor, 2nd District
Vince Sarmiento (Democrat), Santa Ana Mayor/Businessowner
Jon Dumitru (Republican), City of Orange Council Member, 2nd District
Kim Bernice Ngyuen (Democrat), Garden Grove City Councilwoman
Juan Villegas (Democrat), Sheriff Officer. Villegas is a former Santa Ana City Councilmember.
Cecilia “Ceci” Iglesias (Republican), Businesswoman/Policy Director. Igelsias is a former member of the Santa Ana City Council.
OC Supervisor, 4th District
Steve C. Vargas (Republican), Councilmember/Lieutenant Commander. Vargas is a member of the Brea City Council.
Sunny Park (Democrat), Mayor of Buena Park.
Doug Chaffee (Democrat), Orange County Supervisor
Marty Simonoff (Republican), no ballot title. Simonoff is a member of the Brea City Council.
OC Supervisor, 5th District
Diane L. Harkey (Republican), Businesswoman/Financial Consultant
Katrina Foley (Democrat), Orange County Supervisor/Businessowner
Patricia C. “Pat” Bates (Republican), no ballot title
Kevin Muldoon (Republican), Mayor/Orange County Businessman
Assessor
Claude Parrish, Orange County Assessor
Richard “Rick” Foster, Veteran Housing Provider
Larry Bales, Retired
Auditor-Controller
Andrew Hamilton, City Finance Director. As the only candidate on the ballot, Hamilton wins automatically and will take office in December of this year.
Clerk-Recorder
Hugh Nguyen, Orange County Clerk-Recorder
Steve Rocco, Educational Publisher/Writer
Sandy Kimble, Supermarket Cashier/Realtor
District Attorney-Public Administrator
Todd Spitzer, Orange County District Attorney-Public Administrator
Pete Hardin, Attorney/Business Owner
Bryan Chehock, Federal Attorney
Michael A. Jacobs, Attorney at Law
Sheriff-Coroner
Don Barnes, Orange County Sheriff-Coroner
Treasurer-Tax Collector
Shari L. Freidenrich, Orange County Treasurer-Tax Collector
