Election affirms Orange County’s status as a purple county
Orange County voters turned out in droves for Tuesday’s election, with turnout levels at a historic 85.8 percent. It’s no longer a “red” county, but talk of the GOP’s demise here is overstated. Republicans fared well this year, but Democrats remain competitive. OC is unmistakably purple.
At the national level, local voters chose Joe Biden over Donald Trump by 10 points. However, Republicans scored big wins in Congress. Supervisor Michelle Steel edged out Democratic Rep. Harley Rouda in the coastal 48th district. Although late counting continues, Republican Young Kim is poised to take a seat from Gil Cisneros in the northern county.
