Huntington Beach Councilman Holds Wide Lead in Election for California Senate Seat

Republican Tony Strickland, who ran on reducing regulations and taxes and getting tough on crime, leads Democrat Jimmy Pham.

Then-Mayor Tony Strickland speaks at the Surfers Hall of Fame celebration in Huntington Beach, Calif., on Aug. 4, 2023. John Fredricks/The Epoch Times

Republican Tony Strickland declared victory in the Senate District 36 Special Election on Tuesday.

“We live in an oasis,” Strickland said at a press conference in Huntington Beach, where he serves as a city councilman. “People are leaving this state to go to the desert in Texas and Arizona. People are going to the cold in Idaho.”

“We have become an economic development agency for states like Arizona, Nevada, Texas, Florida, and Tennessee. Today is the day we take our state back, and today is the first step in making California golden again.”

Unofficial results showed Strickland with 52 percent of the vote and Democratic candidate Jimmy D. Pham, an attorney, with 28 percent. Two other candidates combined for 20 percent. The district encompasses much of western Los Angeles County and coastal Orange County.

Strickland, who bills himself as a Reagan Republican and is a former state Assembly member, ran on a platform of reducing regulations and taxes, as well as toughening penalties for criminals.

He underscored that California does not have a revenue problem, but a spending problem.

“We need a fighter up in Sacramento that will day one fight for you to root out waste, fraud, and abuse, and things like the bullet train,” Strickland said, referring to the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) at the federal level.

The former Huntington Beach mayor also committed to undoing the damage he perceived has been wrought by California Gov. Gavin Newsom, who filed a proclamation for the special election in December 2024.

“Gavin Newsom has been a disaster for California,” Strickland’s website reads. “While he has been governor, our taxes have gone up and the homeless population has exploded. Housing is more expensive than ever and employers are fleeing the state. Crime is up, schools are failing and basic infrastructure is deteriorating.”

Republican Brian W. Jones, Senate minority leader, congratulated Strickland.

“As Californians reject our state’s current failed Democrat leadership, they are shifting right. Senate Republicans are thrilled to welcome Tony to our caucus as our numbers continue to grow—rising from eight to 10 members in just one year. We are excited to have him join us in the fight to Fix California,” Jones said.

California Republican Party Chairwoman Jessica Millan Patterson issued a statement on the election.

“Congratulations to Sen.-elect Tony Strickland on a well-earned victory in Senate District 36. Sen.-elect Strickland has a proven track record of fighting for taxpayers, pushing for public safety, and delivering results for Californians,” Millan stated. “Thanks to SD-36 voters, he will bring much needed common sense to Sacramento as he joins the Republican Senate Caucus in taking the fight to the failed Democrat supermajority.”

The district is home to a large swath of cities, towns, and bedroom communities in Los Angeles County, including Rancho Palos Verdes, Palos Verdes Estates, Rolling Hills, Rolling Hills Estates, Lomita, Redondo Beach, Hermosa Beach, Manhattan Beach, El Segundo, Beverly Hills, Santa Monica, unincorporated Marina Del Rey, part of Culver City, part of the city of Torrance, and the neighborhoods of Mar Vista, Playa Del Rey, Playa Vista, Harbor City, Sawtelle, Westwood, and parts of San Pedro, Palms and Westchester, in the City of Los Angeles.

The vote still has to be certified on March 6. Strickland is scheduled to be sworn in on March 10, the same day he plans to step down from the Huntington Beach City Council.

The special election filled the vacancy left by Republican Janet Nguyen, who was elected to the Orange County Board of Supervisors in November.