Irvine City Hall May Turn Blue

Rita Kargouz (R) and Thomas Genova (L) hold election signs as people gather to vote at City Hall in Irvine, Calif., on Nov. 3, 2020. John Fredricks/The Epoch Times

A blue wave flooded Irvine City Hall on election night with the four candidates endorsed by the Democratic Party set to take all contested seats. Those seats were previously split evenly between Democrats and Republicans.

The mayoral seat was held by Republican Christina Shea; the city council seats were held by Republican Mike Carroll, Democrat Farrah Khan, and Democrat Melissa Fox.

Khan has 48 percent of the vote for the mayoral seat, according to preliminary results. She is well ahead of incumbent Mayor Shea, who has 36 percent.

There are 14 contenders in the race for the open city council seats, and the top three will take them. The top three, according to preliminary results, are Tammy Kim, Mike Carroll, and Larry Agran, two of whom are Democrats.

However, the race is very tight, with Carroll, Agran, and opponent Lauren Johnson-Norris all at around 13 percent, with less than 0.15 percent margin between them.

If Carroll loses, Councilman Anthony Kuo, elected in 2018, will be the sole Republican on the council. Kuo is up for reelection in 2022. Though city council races are officially nonpartisan, political lines have been clearly drawn in Irvine, with many candidates advertising party endorsements.