Real Time Election Results: Orange County 2024 General Election

ORANGE COUNTY, CA — The polls have closed in California. Voters not only weighed in on the hotly contested presidential race between Vice President Kamala Harris and former President Donald J. Trump. Californians also cast votes in plenty of state races, and Orange County had its own local contests.

Depending on where you live, your ballot may have been chock full of local races. Here are real-time results for everything being voted on in Orange County — national, state and local.

Real-Time Election Results:

Customize your viewing Results in the window below, then select to view the race of your choice.

The Registrar of Voters and Patch will update the results throughout the night as votes are tallied, and the page will be refreshed for the latest updates.

As of 7 p.m. Wednesday, the OC Registrar of Voters found that of 1,861,45o registered voters in Orange County, 54.1 percent cast their vote in this year's 2024 General Election.

With 1,052,969 ballots counted, the OC Registrar of Voters reported 100 percent of precincts reporting results also by 7 p.m. Wednesday.

For full coverage of the election in California, click here.

Races to watch in Orange County:

Congressional District 40

Orange County voters will decide who they want to represent them in California's 40th Congressional District. The district, which spans Mission Viejo, Villa Park and Yorba Linda, is currently represented by Republican Young Kim.

This election season, Kim will face off against Democrat Joe Kerr.

As of 9 a.m. Wednesday and with 100 percent of precincts reporting, Kim held a lead with 56.41 percent of the vote — or 152,367 votes. Kerr followed behind with 43.59 percent of the vote, totaling 117,760 raw votes.

Congressional District 45

In the race for California's 45th Congressional District, early results showed Democrat Derek Tran taking an early lead over Republican and Incumbent Michelle Steel.

As of 10:30 p.m., with 100 percent of precincts reporting, the OC Registrar of Voters reported that Tran held the lead at 50.20 percent, with Steel close behind with 49.80 percent of the vote.

By 7 p.m. Wednesday, the OC Registrar of Voters reported that Steel edged ahead of Tran with 52.88 percent of the vote. Tran followed close behind with 47.12 percent of the vote.

According to the OC Registrar, Steel amassed 111,812 raw votes in her district as of 11:30 p.m. Tuesday, while Tran accrued 99,639 raw votes.

The district, which represents a sizable swath of Orange and some of Los Angeles counties, includes cities such as: Fountain Valley, Westminster, Garden Grove, Cypress, Buena Park, Cerritos, Artesia, La Palma, Placentia, Hawaiian Gardens, Los Alamitos, Rossmoor, and parts of Brea, Lakewood, Fullerton and Yorba Linda.

As of Sept. 24, The Cook Political Report, Decision Desk HQ and Larry J. Sabato's Crystal Ball listed the race as a "toss-up." Inside Elections with Nathan L. Gonzalez listed the race "tilt Republican."

Congressional District 47

Voters will decide who they want to represent them in California's 47th District. The district, which spans Laguna Beach, Newport Beach, Irvine, Costa Mesa and Huntington Beach, is currently represented by Democrat Katie Porter.

This election season, Republican Scott Baugh will face off against Democrat Dave Min. Politico said the race "could very well determine the balance of power in the House" in 2024.

In addition, both the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee and the National Republican Congressional Committee listed the race as one of their top priorities in the 2024 election cycle.

As of 11 p.m. and with 100 percent of precincts reporting, Min held a lead with 50.64 percent of the vote. Baugh followed behind with 49.36 percent of the vote, according to the OC Registrar.

As of 7 p.m. Wednesday, Baugh scooted ahead of Min with 50.21 percent of the vote while Min had 49.79 percent of the vote, according to the OC Registrar.

Congressional District 49

Voters will decide who they want to represent them in California's 49th Congressional District. The district, Dana Point, Laguna Niguel and San Clemente, is currently represented by Democrat Mike Levin.

This election season, Levin will face off against Republican Matt Gunderson.

As of 7 p.m. Wednesday and with 100 percent of precincts reporting, Gunderson maintained a growing lead with 56.42 percent of the vote. Levin trailed with 43.58 percent of the vote.

Assembly District 71

Voters will decide who they want to represent them in Assembly District 71. The district, which encompasses Ladera Ranch, Mission Viejo and Rancho Santa Margarita, is currently represented by Republican Kate Sanchez.

This election season, voters will choose between Sanchez and Democrat Gary Kephart.

As of 7 p.m. Wednesday and with 100 percent of precincts reporting, Sanchez led the race with 61.24 percent of the vote. Kephart trailed behind with 38.76 percent of the vote.

Assembly District 72

Voters will decide who they want to represent them in Assembly District 72. The district, which encompasses Aliso Viejo, Huntington Beach, Laguna Beach, Lake Forest and Newport Beach, is currently represented by Republican Diane Dixon.

This election season, voters will choose between Dixon and Huntington Beach businesswoman Dom Jones.

As of 9 a.m. Wednesday and with 100 percent of precincts reporting, Dixon led the race with 60.37 percent of the vote. Jones followed behind with 39.63 percent of the vote.

Assembly District 74

Voters will decide who they want to represent them in Assembly District 74. The district, which encompasses Dana Point, Laguna Niguel and San Juan Capistrano, is currently represented by Republican Laurie Davies.

This election season, voters will choose between Davies and Democrat Chris Duncan.

As of 7 p.m. Wednesday and with 100 percent of precincts reporting, Davies led the race with 60.13 percent of the vote. Duncan followed with 39.87 percent of the vote.

Statewide Races

In California, there are several statewide races to watch and 10 propositions to vote on.

U.S. Senate

A consequential contest to watch will be the race for the U.S. Senate seat long-held by the late Dianne Feinstein. In fact, voters will cast their ballot twice in this race, Nov. 5. They’ll choose a candidate to finish out Feinstein’s current term and again for the next term, which will begin in 2025.

Democratic U.S. Rep. Adam Schiff and Republican Steve Garvey are both vying for the seat. Schiff, a progressive favorite in the Golden State, has served as a Democratic congressman here since 2000, representing the state’s 30th Congressional District in Los Angeles County.

Garvey, formerly an All-Star for the Los Angeles Dodgers and the San Diego Padres, advanced in March to the November ballot as a first-time political candidate. Republicans have failed to advance a candidate in two of the last three U.S. Senate races, making Garvey’s defeat of Democratic Reps. Katie Porter and Barbara Lee, a rare feat for the GOP in blue California.

According to a recent poll from the Public Policy Institute of California, Schiff holds a 28 point-lead (63 percent to 35 percent) over Garvey. Schiff gained widespread name recognition for his role in Donald Trump’s impeachment trial. Read more about that race here.

U.S. House

As for congressional races, the state’s most competitive contests for the U.S. House seats in California are primarily in three regions — the Central Valley, Orange County and the Inland Empire, according to the Public Policy Institute of California’s most recent election report. The competitive races include districts 3, 9, 13, 22, 27, 40, 41, 45, 47 and 49.

Currently, the GOP holds seven of these seats. Here’s a brief breakdown of the candidates in each competitive area:

• District 3, which hugs the Nevada border from Death Valley to the Sacramento suburbs, will see another contest between Republican Incumbent Kevin Kiley and returning Democratic candidate Jessica Morse. Kiley previously attempted to run for Gov. Gavin Newsom’s seat in a failed recall attempt.
• District 9 centered in Stockton pits Democratic incumbent against Republican challenger Kevin Lincoln II.
• In District 13 covering the San Joaquin Valley, Republican incumbent John Duarte — who flipped the seat red in 2022 for the first time since 1974 — will go up against Democrat Adam Gray. Since Redistricting in 2022, the district is considered a left-leaning swing district whose voters went for Biden in 2020 but chose a Republican representative in 2022.
• District 22 in the San Joaquin Valley will have Republican incumbent David G. Valadao challenge Democrat Rudy Salas. Both candidates were neck-and-neck during the March primary, with Valadao receiving 32.7 votes to Salas’ 31.3. Redistricting has shifted the 22nd to the left since 2020, making Valadao one of the most vulnerable Republican incumbents in the House.
• In District 27, which covers northeast Los Angeles County, GOP incumbent Mike Garcia is pitted against George Whitesides, a former chief of staff of NASA during Barack Obama’s presidency and a formidable challenger for Garcia, who has held the seat since 2020.
• In District 40,covering northeast Riverside County, Democrat Joe Kerr will challenge Republican incumbent Young Kim.
• District 41 will have Republican incumbent Ken Calvert face off against a much younger Democratic contender, Will Rollins. Calvert is the longest-serving GOP member in California Congress. Rollins, who is gay, has clashed with Calvert over LGBTQ+ issues, which may prove to be a challenge for him in a district that encompasses Palm Springs.
• Orange County’s District 45, covering inland north county communities, is diverse both politically and by ethnicity since the area hosts the largest population of Vietnamese people in the nation. There, Republican incumbent Michelle Steel will face off against Derek Tran, a Democrat known for his advocacy for workers’ rights.
• District 47, another Orange County stronghold, is currently represented by Rep. Katie Porter, who did poorly in the March primary and is not seeking reelection. Former GOP state legislator Scott Baugh, who lost to Porter previously, will challenge Sen. Dave Min.
• District 49 will see Democratic incumbent Mike Levin go up against Republican challenger Matt Gunderson.

State Measures

Of course, it wouldn’t be a major election in California if there were not a slew of proposed propositions on the ballot.

There are 10 statewide propositions on the ballot, including two $10 billion bond measures for school construction and to address climate change. There are also two amendments to the state constitution, one which would repeal the unenforceable ban on same-sex marriage and another that would make it easier for bond measures to pass by lowering the voter threshold from the current supermajority needed to approve bond measures.

However, the most hot-button measure on the ballot is Proposition 36, which seeks to reverse some of the criminal justice reforms passed when voters approved Proposition 47 a decade ago. If Prop 36 passes, it could significantly increase prison time for some drug and theft offenses that are currently misdemeanors.

Click here for Patch’s in-depth reporting on all 10 propositions.