Close race for O.C. supervisor
The runoff is likely to hinge on Vietnamese and Latino voter turnout.
The race to be the Orange County supervisor for the 1st District is likely to come down to the respective turnout in its large Vietnamese and Latino communities.
After Tuesday’s primary, Orange County Supervisor Andrew Do will face challenger Michelle Martinez.
The two emerged as the top vote-getters in a heated contest, with Do winning 35.8% of the vote and Martinez 35.3%, according to a final count from the county registrar of voters. Martinez, a Santa Ana councilwoman, is trying to become the first person from her city to represent the 1st District on the Board of Supervisors.
Phat Bui, a Garden Grove councilman, claimed 19.1% of the vote. Steve Rocco, a former Orange Unified School District board member, finished fourth with 9.6%.
From now until Nov. 8, Do and Martinez will both vie for voters and dollars from the vocal Vietnamese American electorate, along with Latinos, who could turn out in record numbers for the presidential election in response to Republican nominee Donald Trump’s rhetoric on immigration, experts say.
Going into the primary, Do leaped ahead in fundraising, collecting more than $435,000 during the campaign cycle, compared with Martinez’s tally of nearly $70,000.
The incumbent also outspent Martinez, buying airtime and ads in Vietnameselanguage media, touting his qualifications “of making public safety our top budget priority” and working with homeless and mental health issues.
Martinez, who is serving her third term in Santa Ana, said her job is to “protect and strengthen the middle class” and push for accountability at the highest levels of government.
Late Tuesday, she celebrated advancing to the runoff at the Democratic Party of Orange County headquarters in Orange.
If she defeats Do in the fall, she would be the only Democrat in a currently allRepublican board.
“They each already have a base within the district. Martinez will undoubtedly try to reach women voters, while Do, who worked for someone in office before, will try to tap his wide network. But to win, the primary goal is to focus on folks most likely to vote for them,” said Lou DeSipio, a UC Irvine political science professor.
DeSipio said he expects the candidates to try to cross over into each other’s core supporters, with Martinez reaching out to Vietnamese Americans and Do, who has the advantage of name recognition, stumping for Latino support.