Huntington Beach City Councilman Tony Strickland declared victory Monday in his run to replace former Senator Janet Nguyen in the State Senate.
“I will bring Surf City common sense to Sacramento,” said Strickland, who will now represent Senate District 36, which includes all or part of the municipalities within the ENE coverage area.
“We need practical and effective policies,” said Strickland, who also announced he was resigning from his Huntington Beach Council Seat next week as he heads to Sacramento and the Huntington Beach Council fills the vacant Council seat.
With a few days to go before official returns are to be certified, Strickland held a significant lead over other candidates to declare victory before the final certification.
Strickland, a Republican, had 80,946 votes as of the most recent update from the Orange County Registrar of Voters on Monday.
Strickland leads the field with 51.3% of the vote, followed by Democrats Jimmy Pham (43,683 votes, 27.7%) and Julie Diep (22,614 votes, 14.3%). John Briscoe, a Republican, had 10,554 votes, or 6.7% of the total counted to date.
Flanked at a press conference by Huntington Beach Mayor Pat Burns, Fire Chief Eric McCoy, and Council member Gracey van Der Mark, Strickland gave a brief history of his accomplishments as Mayor and as a member of the Council.
He said the city had bounced back from a $7 million deficit without raising taxes, they cleared the homeless from key areas of the city, and saved the Pacific Airshow, an event he said has a $100 million impact on the city each year, among other feats.
“I’m not leaving Huntington Beach,” said Strickland.
“Huntington Beach is in my heart, and we’ll fight to represent Huntington Beach and the rest of this Senate District,” he said.
Strickland, who expressed gratitude for those who voted for him, pledging also to “work hard to earn the vote” of those who did not vote for him.
No stranger to Sacramento, Strickland previously served six years in the California State Assembly and four years in the state Senate.
Strickland will now hold the seat for the remaining two years until the next election in the district. Nguyen vacated the office when she was sworn in as First District Supervisor on the Orange County Board of Supervisors.
Strickland said he will focus on public safety and economic issues.
“I will push to get back to the basics of government,” said Strickland, saying “we’re going to do everything we can to make crime illegal again. I will work to lower your gas tax on day one,” he added.
In addition, he said the state needs a “DOGE” agency in the state, apparently referencing the work billionaire Elon Musk is doing in Washington.
“California doesn’t have a revenue problem. California has a spending problem.” The newly elected Senator said.
Strickland got emotional at times, reflecting on the values given him by his late father and his mother, whom Strickland said had passed away during the campaign.
“I know both my parents are looking down right now and are very proud,” he said.
Strickland and the other Huntington Beach officials appeared at a press conference on Monday at City Hall in Huntington Beach.