Orange County Elections: Democrats Retain Board Control

Democratic candidates are holding leads in two contested Orange County Board of Supervisors races as of Wednesday evening. Current counts from the county Registrar of Voters show incumbent Katrina Foley ahead in the Fifth District and Connor Traut leading in the Fourth District. If these margins hold, Democrats will maintain their majority on the board.

The race in the Fifth District, which covers much of South Orange County, is between Foley and Republican Assemblywoman Diane Dixon. Foley held a 51.6% share of the vote against Dixon’s 48.3%. This difference amounted to a gap of more than 6,000 votes. Dixon had narrowed the distance early Wednesday morning, but Foley maintained her advantage in the latest updates.

In the Fourth District, located along the county’s northeastern edge, Traut faced Tim Shaw, a member of the Orange County Board of Education. Shaw briefly took the lead over Traut in the early hours of Wednesday. However, Traut regained the top spot after new ballot counts were released. By 5 p.m. Wednesday, Traut held a 50.3% share of the vote, leading Shaw by 824 votes.

The next set of official numbers is scheduled for release at 5 p.m. Thursday. The Registrar of Voters, Bob Page, will provide the updated figures at that time. Both candidates were initially ahead on Election Night, but the margins shifted during the early counting period on Wednesday.

The outcome affects the board’s balance of power. If Democrats lose either seat, the board will shift to a Republican majority. That majority would include the winners of these two districts alongside sitting Supervisors Don Wagner and Janet Nguyen.

Foley’s district has a Republican voter registration edge of approximately 20,000 people. A coalition of unions spent over $2.5 million advertising her campaign. In the Fourth District, Democrats hold an 11.1% voter registration advantage over Republicans. Traut’s campaign, supported by a union coalition, also outspent Shaw’s team significantly.