Democrats lose super-majority in CA Assembly

Republicans, who have already blocked a Democratic super-majority in the California Senate, have also succeeded in defeating a Democratic super-majority in the Assembly.
The only question remaining: How many seats will Democrats lose in the lower house?
Buoyed by low voter turnout and an effective ground operation, Republicans picked up two Southern California seats and held a slim lead in another Bay Area district, which was considered the top priority of the state’s labor unions. Those pickups, which aren’t expected to change with the counting of late absentee and provisional ballots, would be enough to make up for losing a coastal Ventura County seat currently held by a moderate Republican.
Entering yesterday night, Democrats held 55 seats in the Assembly, compared to 24 seats for Republicans, with one vacant GOP-leaning seat.
From the Bay Area to Los Angeles, the GOP recruited non-traditional candidates to prove the party means business about expanding its base and intends to adapt to the state’s changing demographics. Republican candidates for Assembly posted stronger-than-expected results, with some safe, off-the-radar Democratic seats remaining too-close-to-call for most of Election Night.
Young Kim wins in Orange County
In the 65th Assembly District, Assemblywoman Sharon Quirk-Silva, D-Fullerton, lost by double digits to Republican challenger Young Kim, a former congressional aide to Rep. Ed Royce. With 100 percent of precincts reporting, the first-generation Korean American immigrant held a commanding 12-point advantage.
A gracious Quirk-Silva conceded the race late Tuesday night and offered her best wishes to Kim. “We fought hard, we worked hard, but tonight is not our victory,” the former mayor of Fullerton posted on Twitter. “I wish my opponent #YoungKim the best in her new position, congratulations!”
More than $5.2 million had been spent on the race by the candidates, political parties and independent expenditure committees. Although Democrats have a 1.7-point advantage in voter registration, the district is considered a “lean Republican” seat, according to the ATC Partisan Index, which ranks districts based on their competitiveness. Kim performed well among absentee voters and benefited from strong support from thousands of Korean-American voters in the district.
In the 36th Assembly District, Asssemblyman Steve Fox, D-Palmdale, another first-term Democrat, lost reelection by a wide margin. With 100 percent of precincts reporting, Republican challenger Tom Lackey held an impressive 23-point lead in a district that Republicans let slip away in 2012 during late absentee and provisional counting.
This time, Republicans dispatched their top ground operatives to the Los Angeles County-based district to make up for a disastrous 2012 campaign. Fox, who won in 2012 by less than 200 votes, was pummeled this election with damaging mailers that reminded voters of his ongoing legal troubles.
The losses by Quirk-Silva and Fox marked the first time in two decades that a Democratic incumbent has lost reelection to the Legislature, according to GOP political consultant Matt Rexroad.
“1994 was the last time a Democrat incumbent lost to a Republican in CA Legislature,” Rexroad, an award-winning political consultant, tweeted. “Two will lose tonight.”
Parties split open targets
The two parties split a pair of open seats at opposite ends of the state.
In the 16th Assembly District, moderate Republican Catharine Baker, an attorney from Pleasanton, defeated Democrat Tim Sbranti, the mayor of Dublin, by four points with all precincts reporting. It is unlikely that Baker would lose the race with the remaining absentee and provisional ballots left to be counted. Her win will give Republicans enough seats to block the Democrats from reaching a super-majority.
Republicans, who traditionally struggle in the Bay Area, dedicated millions of dollars of their limited campaign funds to the competitive race after a brutal June primary. Aided by millions of dollars in independent expenditures from labor unions, Sbranti was ultimately weighed down by his ties to the unions, especially after a vicious primary against moderate Democrat Steve Glazer.
Several hundred miles south, Democrats picked up an open seat in the 44th Assembly District that was vacated by moderate Republican Jeff Gorell. The Ventura County-based seat was an expensive race between Republican Rob McCoy and Democrat Jacqui Irwin. With all precincts reporting, Irwin led McCoy 51.1 percent to 48.9 percent.
Other Democratic incumbents in trouble
At least one other Democratic lawmaker remains in danger of losing reelection.
In the 66th Assembly District, Assemblyman Al Muratsuchi, D-Torrance, was losing to Republican challenger David Hadley by more than 2,000 votes. The South Bay district was expected to be competitive, in part, because of low voter turnout.

Asm. Adam Gray
In the 21st Assembly District, Assemblyman Adam Gray, D-Merced, defeated a late challenge from Republican Jack Mobley. With all precincts reporting, Gray had 52 percent to Mobley’s 48 percent.
Republicans largely ignored Republican Jack Mobley’s challenge to Gray. A moderate Central Valley Democrat, Gray endeared himself to the state’s business community by occasionally delivering pro-business votes on hot-button issues. But the weak incumbent needed more than $310,000 in support from the party to beat back a last-minute campaign push orchestrated by CA GOP Chairman Jim Brulte.
Big upset: Democrat defeats Democrat
The biggest potential upset of the night was in the 39th Assembly District. Assemblyman Raul Bocanegra, D-Pacoima, was losing to unknown Democratic challenger Patty Lopez by 182 votes. However, with late absentee and provisional ballots left to count, that race remains too close to call.
In two other safe Democratic districts, the results were closer than expected.
In the 57th Assembly District, Assemblyman Ian Calderon, D-Whittier, held a slim lead over Republican Rita Topalian. Calderon, the son of former Assemblyman Charles Calderon, was weighed down by corruption charges filed against his uncle, outgoing state Sen. Ron Calderon.
In the nearby 48th Assembly District, Assemblyman Roger Hernandez, D-West Covina, defeated Republican Joe Gardner by single digits.
21 comments
Write a commentWrite a Comment
Leave a Reply Cancel reply
Related Articles
Union-backed Torlakson beating reformer Tuck
It looks like the state’s ultra-powerful teachers unions won another one. Early returns show incumbent State Superintendent of Public Instruction
Gov. Brown redefines ongoing programs as emergency drought aid
Thirty-four days after California Gov. Jerry Brown declared an official statewide drought emergency, he joined State Senate President Pro
Gov. Brown boosts energy-policy leverage
Gov. Jerry Brown believes it will take “pragmatic caution” and “active collaboration” to achieve his goal of seeing half of the state’s
This is all so funny. The reason the dems are losing these seats can be traced back to the Messiah Obola. hah. His con games worked for 6 years but the slow learners finally figured him out!!! hah. I warned everybody could back in 2008. I was shouting to the mountaintops. But everyone was anestitized by the con artist who flim-flammed you into voting for him. I knew that he was a typical low-life hustler. I can spot ’em a mile away. But now the irreparable damage is done. And he’s still got about 15 months in office. God only knows how much further damage we will sustain. We know he’s going to give 9 million or more criminals who broke into our country and stole our jobs and resources amnesty, when we can’t even properly care for our own veterans and citizens. It’s absolutely shameless! Obola has a lot of nerve wanting to charge Ed Snowden with treason. Obola should be charged with treason for all the damage he has caused us.
Constipado– Still using the disrespectful racial/disease term to refer to the President of the United States?
You remain childlike.
Snowden violated his oath, clearance and gave huge piles of classified info to the enemy—– NOW there is a guy a child like you could respect!
lmao!
“Snowden violated his oath, clearance……..”
And POTUS Obola didn’t??? HAH! 😀
Benghazi, IRS Scandal, Fast & Furious, ObolaCare, Attacking Libya and Syria without international authorization w/no imminent threat(violation of War Powers Act of 1973), Sebeliusgate, Veteran’s healthcare, New Black Panther immunity, NSA domestic spying, Solyndra, creating ISIS, giving weapons to terrorists, etc…. Obola makes Snowden look like Little Lord Fauntleroy! hah. Snowden is a hero. Without his disclosures NSA would still be reading our emails and listening to our phone calls – like the old soviet union or nazi germany!!!
Daily flights to South Korea. A short walk into NK. Contact Denis Rodman for more details!!! 😀
Constipado–
That you can’t see the dif between the President and Snowden speaks volumes about your insecurity, ignorance, and childlike foolishness!
But thanks for playing little boy! ™
“That you can’t see the dif between the President and Snowden speaks volumes about your insecurity, ignorance, and childlike foolishness!”
Of course I can see the difference. One is a psychopathic liar and the other is an honest guy who saw a wrong and tried to right it. But no good deed goes unpunished. 😉
The legislature is less anti-American? This is really good news.
Of course, you’re right, ken. You see, it doesn’t matter which party is in the majority in a one-party system. The faces change. But the outcomes remain the same. This is a simple smoke ‘n mirrors trick I’ve seen played on the American public for many years. When the public gets fed up with the current administration they vote in the other major party – and are fed the illusion that things will get better now. But they won’t. And that’s been PROVEN many, many times. But the stupid voters keep falling for the same old trick over and over again. Really stupid. Voting and writing your congressman is worthless. A waste of time. And the high courts are rigged to always interpret the law to favor the ruling class. So they got all bases covered. About your only other option to change the system (other than violence which I never ever condone) is to go Galt. Play the system like all the rest do. When everyone goes on the dole there will be no one left to support it. Right now about 1 of every 2 Americans collect some sort of government subsistance check. We need to rachet that percentage up to about 75% (3 of 4). Then the house of cards will start falling apart – which will force change. But Ken, I assume you are a hard worker who keeps his nose to the grindstone and pays his taxes. But why should YOU be forced to support 50% of the US population who choose to live on Easy Street? huh??? That’s my question for you today! 🙂
Constipado– That you can’t see the dif between the President and Snowden speaks volumes about your insecurity, ignorance, and childlike foolishness! But thanks for playing little boy! ™ – See more at: http://calwatchdog.com/2014/11/05/democrats-lose-super-majority-in-ca-assembly/#comment-101549
TCS has no original thoughts so he travels the archives of CWD for things to write, and then can not even put them in the proper order, what a statist tool. 🙂
The DUNCey LOVES to say “statist”.
lamo
The latest elections and the fact that California now is able to block tax increases at will by the Demonrats is great.
It is a refreshing, honest, professional and entirely deserved smackdown of forty years of duplicity by the manipulative socio-fascists and their machinations to establish yet another “workers’ paradise”, but only for RAGWUS feeders. More people, not just blacks, need to wake up to the fact that, while both parties are manipulative, only one of those parties actually wants each person to succeed on the merits of their own strengths, and it is not the Demoncrats. The Demoncrats want submission and stupidity so they can steal as much as they can from the taxpayers. The Repukes made history in a few races across the nation, Iowa, South Carolina, and Utah were all firsts, and the lily white Demonrats hate this fact. 🙂
I never get tired of smacking down the DUNCey or the OC OddballObserver, etc !
I never get tired of smacking down the DUNCey or the OC OddballObserver, etc !
And who better to smack them down than the Dunce that said Marbury v. Madison, 5 U.S. 137 (1803) was the FIRST case ever decided by the SCOTUS~~~~~~~~!!!! Pot, meet Kettle 😉
My work here is done. I am not posting again until the Dork is booted off.
LOL
YES
The Girl Poodle will post again
and soon!
she can’t stop herself!
I could make her post with just one question to her which will send her scrambling back to Google ™ —
Well
ok
here it is!
How was Marbury relevant to the issues we posted about?
HURRY!!!!
LOL the Poodle has NO comeback! Of course!!
My TCS is so sad, wipe the slobber from you chin my little RAGWUS feeding parrot. The feeders were trounced in the last election, and as reality grips California the same show will arrive.
West Virginia replace a Demonrat with a woman Repuke, and Iowa sis the same. It’s going to be quite a show. 🙂
Duncey–
You’re a trough feeder?????
My TCS is so sad, wipe the slobber from you chin my little RAGWUS feeding parrot
Hahahahhahaa…..that was so dang funny!!!!! …but remember Donk, Marbury v. Madison, 5 U.S. 137 (1803) was the FIRST case ever decided by the SCOTUS, the Dork said so, so it MJUST be true 🙂
I never tire of giving Poodle, OC Oddball etc smackdowns!
Hah!