NEWPORT BEACH, Calif.—Within the backdrop of a rainstorm passing over Orange County, conservative candidates gathered the evening of Nov. 8 at the Changes Lounge of Newport Beach, adjacent to the area’s Republican Party headquarters.
“Today I want to do the Orange County one-clap because we have a lot of elected officials here tonight,” Orange County Republican Party Chairman Fred Whitaker told those in attendance. “And the biggest parts on the team are the voters themselves, and that’s why we’re going to win.”
Among the several hundred people in attendance were several city council members of Irvine, Newport Beach, Lake Forest, and Yorba Linda, martial artists, local business owners, educators, and even curious students.
“I would like to see how the GOP reacts to the elections tonight,” student J. DeVera told The Epoch Times. “I am also eager to see how the winners honor the commitments they made to the voters in the next few years.”
Several GOP candidates in the running for local positions took to the stage to encourage the crowd.
“We have all worked hard and collectively as partners in this race to make sure that we pick up some additional seats,” said U.S. Rep. Young Kim, who is up for re-election in District 40.
“And I think we have a great chance of hopefully picking up a couple more seats.”
As results began to filter in over the course of the evening, races remained tight for several candidates including Scott Baugh, who is running against Rep. Katie Porter (D-CA), who was endorsed by President Joe Biden and funded by parties that included the U.S. Postal Service, Harvard University, Kaiser Permanente, Blue Shield, and Netflix, according to Open Secrets.
“The Progressives are not a party of common sense; they’re a party of extremisms,” Baugh said. “Common sense is not spending more money than we have and making sure that we have enough oil, so our gas prices are not going to $6, $7, and $8 a gallon.”
Listening in the crowd was software engineer Sunny Lael, who stood with his mother and father visiting from India.
“I wanted to invite them to see how American politics works as it is quite different than Indian politics,” Lael told The Epoch Times.
According to Lael, he was especially excited for his parents to hear Whittaker, Baugh, Kim, and U.S. Rep. Michelle Steel (R-Calif.), who was on the ballot for Congressional District 45, because he said, they are strong supporters of religious freedom.
“We are hoping for the best in this election and that the winners be advocates for the people,” Lael said.
Some political experts at the event said forecasts have been challenging and that races that once seemed predictable were now closer than expected.
“The races I was confident about a few weeks ago I’m less so confident in now,'' University of California–Irvine political science professor Louis DeSipio said.
As local polls closed at 8 p.m., some hoped the day’s stormy weather did not keep voters from issuing their ballots.
“We’re hoping the rainstorm doesn’t depress the voter storm,'' Whitaker said.
Also in attendance at the event were Deputy Attorney General and Yorba Linda Councilwoman Peggy Huang who is in the running for Orange County Superior Court Judge, Lanhee Chen who is running for California State Controller, and Newport Beach City Councilwoman Diane Dixon, who is on the ballot for California Assembly in the 72nd District.
In Orange County, Democrats lead in registered voters with 682,923, compared to 602,172 for Republicans.
Results of the election need to be certified by Dec. 16th.
