4 Democrats hold big leads to represent SLO County in the California state Legislature
Complete Election Night results are in for San Luis Obispo County’s four seats up for grabs in the California Legislature this year.
And all four incumbents are headed toward solid wins in both the state Senate and Assembly.
John Laird leading in Senate District 17
In state Senate District 17, Democratic incumbent John Laird was well on his way to victory over Republican challenger and Army veteran Tony Virrueta.
As of 8:10 a.m. on Wednesday, Laird had 66.2% of the vote while Virrueta was polling at 33.8%, including mail-in votes and with all precincts reporting, according to the California Secretary of State reports.
“I’m very happy with my own races,” Laird told The Tribune on Wednesday. “It’s a great victory. At this point I’m running better than I was four years ago against the headwinds of this election.”
As of 12:20 a.m., roughly 45.1% of SLO County voters eligible to vote in the race had their ballots counted, with 56.4% of county voters choosing Laird and 43.6% supporting Virrueta.
“I’m very pleased that I ran strong in San Luis Obispo County,” Laird said. “I’ve done a lot of work there the last four years, so that was really gratifying. “I want to thank everyone who supported me and really look forward to a lot of the work we have coming up.”
District 17 covers the northern portion of SLO County and extends into Santa Cruz, Monterey and San Benito counties.
According to the most recent voter registration numbers from the California Secretary of State, the district is mainly blue, comprised of 50.2% Democrats, 22.9% Republicans and 19.7% no party preference.
Approximately a quarter of District 17’s voters are registered in SLO County.
Senate District 21 sees Monique Limón in front
In state Senate District 21, Democratic incumbent Monique Limón is set to win out over Republican college student Elijah Mack, garnering 62.2% of the vote compared to Mack’s 37.8% as of 8:10 a.m. on Wednesday, with mail-in votes and all precincts reporting.
The race is slightly closer among local voters. Roughly 44% of SLO County voters eligible to vote in the race have had their ballots counted, with 52% of county voters choosing Limón and 48% supporting Mack.
District 21 encompasses the southern half of SLO County and extends to Santa Barbara and Ventura counties.
Similarly to the county’s other state Senate district, District 21 is largely blue, with 46.3% registered Democrats, 25.7% Republicans and 20.3% no party preference.
However, San Luis Obispo County comprises only about 6.4% of District 21’s voters.
Dawn Addis set to take Assembly District 30
In state Assembly District 30, covering most of San Luis Obispo County and Monterey and Santa Cruz counties, Democratic incumbent Dawn Addis is heading for a smooth win over her opponent, Republican Dalila Epperson.
Addis was polling at 64% to Epperson’s 36% as of 8:10 a.m. on Wednesday, including mail-in votes and with all precincts reporting.
“It’s a huge honor to be where we’re at at this moment,” Addis told The Tribune from an Election Night party in San Luis Obispo on Tuesday night. “If I have the honor of being reelected, I’m absolutely committed to the voters to work as hard as they do and to uplift the voice of the Central Coast in the California state Legislature.”
Addis noted that the turnout during this election has been “just so inspiring,” saying it “comes from hard work from hundreds of people across many, many, many months.”
“I think SLO County in particular is gonna wake up happy tomorrow,” she added. ”Democracy works when we work.”
In SLO County, 45.2% of voter ballots for this race were counted as of 12:20 a.m., with 56.1% of the local vote going to Addis and 43.9% to Epperson.
SLO County voters account for just over half of Assembly District 30’s largely blue registered voter base, made up of 45.7% Democrats, 27.5% Republicans and 19% voters no party preference, according to the California Secretary of State’s Oct. 21 registration report.
Assembly District 37 leans toward Gregg Hart
In state Assembly District 37, which clips a small portion of southern SLO County, Democratic incumbent Gregg Hart was heading toward a sure win, with 60.9% of the vote secured while his Republican challenger Sari M. Domingues took 39.1% as of 8:10 a.m. on Wednesday, including mail-in votes and with all precincts reporting.
“I’m proud and honored to have the strong support from my constituents for my work in Sacramento,” Hart told The Tribune on Wednesday. “We have a lot to do to protect the residents of the Central Coast.”
Hart attended two Democratic Party Election Night celebrations in Santa Barbara, where moods were somber as Republican Presidential candidate Donald Trump claimed the presidency, but the assmeblymember told his supporters not to lose hope.
“California is an important leader in the country and in the world, and we have a responsibility to continue that leadership in difficult times,” Hart said. “I’m looking forward to rolling up our sleeves and getting back to work in Sacramento.”
SLO County voters’ preference flipped in the opposite direction from the district’s overall voter base. After a neck and neck split that had Hart slightly in the lead, the local vote tipped in favor of Domingues, with 50.9% of SLO County voters casting their ballots for the challenger and 49.1% in favor of the incumbent, with 45.7% of eligible voters’ ballots counted.
District 37 is mainly decided by Santa Barbara County voters, with only 7% of the district’s registered voters hailing from SLO County.
Like other local districts, it is majority blue with 45.7% of voters registered as Democrats, 26.1% as Republicans and 20.6% with no party preference.
This story was originally published November 5, 2024 at 8:48 PM.
