Huntington Beach Councilmember Tony Strickland celebrated his victory after winning the California State Senate District 36 election at Huntington Beach City Hall on March 3.
According to election results data, Strickland claimed 51.3% of the votes, avoiding a runoff election. Results of the Feb. 25 special election were certified on March 6.
“The people in this district have put a line in the sand and said, ‘We’re going to take our beautiful state back,’” Strickland said in his victory speech, as reported by the LA Times. “Today is the day we take our state back, and today is the first step in making California golden again.”
Strickland, a member of the California Republican Party (CAGOP), previously served on the Huntington Beach City Council from 2022 to 2025 and as city mayor from 2022 to 2023. He was also previously elected to the California State Senate as a representative for District 19 in 2008, serving until 2012. Strickland’s campaign for the District 36 seat highlighted priorities including cutting state taxes, increasing public safety and addressing homelessness.
“We’re the leaders willing to take the big fights to save our Golden State,” Strickland said in a campaign video. “Whether it was fighting [California Gov.] Gavin Newsom [on housing], fighting for voter integrity, fighting to fully fund law enforcement [or] dramatically reduce homelessness.”
The District 36 seat was previously occupied by Republican Janet Nguyen, who resigned from the position after winning the Orange County Municipal Election to become the District 1 representative for the Orange County Board of Supervisors. Four candidates competed for the vacant District 36 seat, including Strickland and John Briscoe for the CAGOP, and Julie Diep and Jimmy Phan for the California Democratic Party.
District 36 includes communities along the Orange County coast, including Westminster and Garden Grove, and parts of Los Angeles County, including Cerritos and Artesia. Voter registration data as of October 2024 showed the district’s registered voters to be 37.1% Republican and 33.9% Democrat.
Top issues for the race included emergency preparedness, housing affordability, the impact of climate change and the rising cost of living due to inflation and taxes.
In addition, wildfires have deeply impacted Southern California in the time surrounding the election. According to data from Cal Fire, 57,687 acres of land were burned in 2025, with 16,251 structures burnt down and 29 human fatalities.
California has the highest individual income tax burden and among the highest total tax burden across the nation, per analysis by WalletHub. According to the Public Policy Institute of California, 26% of California residents and four out of 10 low-income adults reported feeling concerned about housing every day or almost every day. 34% of renters claimed they have trouble paying for housing.
In his March 3 speech, Strickland repeated promises to uphold public safety, make efforts to lower the gas tax and address high state expenditures, as reported by the OC Register.
Strickland will resign from the Huntington Beach City Council and be sworn in as a state senator on March 10.
On Chi Antony He is a News Intern for the winter 2025 quarter. He can be reached onchi@uci.edu.
