Mayoral elections in Irvine, California
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Mayoral elections in Irvine, California, are held every two years.
The first direct-election for mayor in the city's history was held in 1988. All such elections have been held under state laws that make municipal elections in California officially non-partisan.
1988
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June 7, 1988[1]
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The 1988 mayoral election, held on June 7, was the first direct-election for mayor in the city's history.[1] Larry Agran was re-elected.
| Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Larry Agran (incumbent) | 15,651 | 57.0 | |
| Barry J. Hammond | 8,707 | 31.7 | |
| Hal Maloney | 3,111 | 11.3 | |
| Total votes | 27,469 | ||
1990
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June 5, 1990[1]
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The 1990 election was held on June 5, 1990. Sally Anne Sheridan unseated incumbent mayor Larry Agran.
| Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sally Anne Sheridan | 14,256 | 51.2 | |
| Larry Agran (incumbent) | 13,584 | 48.8 | |
| Total votes | 27,840 | ||
1992
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November 3, 1992[1]
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The 1992 mayoral election, held on November 3, was the first Irvine mayoral election to be consolidated with the statewide general election[1] (the two previous direct mayoral elections had instead been held coinciding with the statewide primary elections). Mike Ward was elected.[1]
| Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mike Ward | 16,435 | 37.3 | |
| Marc Goldstone | 11,730 | 26.6 | |
| Helen T. Cameron | 11,204 | 25.4 | |
| Les Racey | 1,973 | 4.5 | |
| Al Nasser | 1,699 | 3.9 | |
| David Fondots | 1,032 | 2.3 | |
| Total votes | 44,073 | ||
1994
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November 8, 1994[1]
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The 1994 mayoral election was held on November 8. Mike Ward, who ran unopposed, was re-elected.
| Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mike Ward (incumbent) | 26,055 | 100 | |
| Total votes | 26,055 | 100 | |
1996
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November 5, 1996[1]
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The 1996 mayoral election was held on November 5. Christina L. Shea was elected.
| Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Christina L. Shea | 19,479 | 49.8 | |
| Sally Anne Sheridan | 11,537 | 29.5 | |
| Paul Johnson | 4,747 | 12.1 | |
| Guy E. Mailly | 3,314 | 8.5 | |
| Total votes | 39,077 | 100 | |
1998
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November 3, 1998[1]
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The 1998 mayoral election was held on November 3. Christina L. Shea, who ran unopposed, was re-elected.
| Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Christina L. Shea (incumbent) | 29,067 | 100 | |
| Total votes | 29,067 | 100 | |
2000
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November 7, 2000[1]
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The 2000 mayoral election was held on November 7. Larry Agran, who had previously served two terms as mayor, ran unopposed and was elected.
| Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Larry Agran | 34,905 | 100.0 | |
| Total votes | 34,905 | ||
2002
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November 5, 2002[1]
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The 2002 mayoral election was held on November 5. Larry Agran was re-elected.
| Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Larry Agran (incumbent) | 19,886 | 53.4 | |
| Mike House | 17,358 | 46.6 | |
| Total votes | 37,244 | ||
2004
The 2004 mayoral election was held on November 2. Beth Krom was elected. Among the candidates defeated by Krom was former mayor Mike Ward.
2006
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November 7, 2006[1]
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The 2006 mayoral election was held on November 7. Beth Krom was re-elected.
2008
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November 4, 2008[1]
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The 2010 mayoral election was held on November 4. Sukhee Kang was elected, becoming the first Korean American mayor of a major U.S. city. He defeated former mayor Christina L. Shea.
| Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sukhee Kang | 38,505 | 52.0 | |
| Christina L. Shea | 35,481 | 48.0 | |
| Total votes | 73,986 | ||
2010
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November 2, 2010[1]
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The 2010 mayoral election was held on November 2. Sukhee Kang was re-elected.
| Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sukhee Kang (incumbent) | 36,634 | 64.1 | |
| Christopher Gonzalez | 19,383 | 35.9 | |
| Total votes | 54,017 | ||
2012
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November 6, 2012[1]
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The 2012 mayoral election was held on November 6. Steven Choi was elected.
| Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Steven Choi | 32,505 | 45.7 | |
| Larry Agran | 28,741 | 40.4 | |
| Katherine Daigle | 9,951 | 13.9 | |
| Total votes | 71,197 | ||
2014
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November 4, 2014[1]
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The 2014 mayoral election was held on November 4. Steven Choi was re-elected.
| Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Steven Choi (incumbent) | 18,333 | 45.4 | |
| Mary Ann Gaido | 17,380 | 43.0 | |
| Katherine Daigle | 4,698 | 11.6 | |
| Total votes | 40,411 | ||
2016
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November 8, 2016[1]
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The 2016 mayoral election was held on November 8. Donald P. Wagner was elected.
| Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Donald P. Wagner | 30,002 | 37.7 | |
| Mary Ann Gaido | 26,278 | 33.0 | |
| Gang Chen | 11,816 | 14.8 | |
| Katherine Daigle | 8,299 | 10.4 | |
| David Chey | 3,206 | 4.0 | |
| Total votes | 79,601 | ||
2018
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November 6, 2018[1]
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 Results by county supervisorial district Wagner: 40–50% | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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The 2018 mayoral election was held on November 6. Donald P. Wagner was re-elected.
| Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Donald P. Wagner (incumbent) | 35,592 | 45.3% | |
| Ed Pope | 24,682 | 31.4% | |
| Katherine Daigle | 13,018 | 16.6% | |
| Ing Tiong | 5,341 | 6.8% | |
| Total votes | 78,633 | 100% | |
2020
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November 3, 2020
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| Turnout | 80.24%[1]  17.82 pp | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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 Precinct results Khan: 30–40% 40–50% 50–60% 60–70% 70–80% Shea: 40–50% 50–60% >90% | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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The 2020 mayoral election was held on November 3. Mayor Pro Tem Christina Shea, who had taken office on April 13, 2019, when Mayor Donald P. Wagner vacated the seat after winning a special election to the Orange County Board of Supervisors,[2] lost the seat to Councilwoman Farrah Khan, the first Democrat to be elected since 2010.
Declared candidates:
- Katherine Daigle, small business owner and perennial candidate[3] (party preference: Republican)
- Luis Huang, solar engineer and advocate[3] (party preference: Democratic)[4]
- Farrah Khan, business consultant and city council member[3] (party preference: Democratic)
- Christina Shea, incumbent mayor and former city council member[3] (party preference: Republican)
| Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Farrah N. Khan | 56,304 | 47.56% | |
| Christina L. Shea (incumbent) | 42,738 | 36.10% | |
| Luis Huang | 9,684 | 8.18% | |
| Katherine Daigle | 9,654 | 8.16% | |
| Total votes | 118,380 | 100.00% | |
2022
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November 8, 2022
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| Turnout | 55.2% | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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 Precinct results Khan: 20–30% 30–40% 40–50% | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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The 2022 mayoral election was held on November 8. Farrah Khan was re-elected.
| Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Farrah N. Khan (incumbent) | 29,628 | 37.8 | |
| Branda Lin | 21,560 | 27.5 | |
| Simon Moon | 14,834 | 18.9 | |
| Katherine Daigle | 7,184 | 9.2 | |
| Tom Chomyn | 5,129 | 6.6 | |
| Total votes | 78,335 | 100.00 | |
| Invalid or blank votes | 6,328 | 7.5 | |
2024
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November 5, 2024
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| Turnout | 78.1% | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Precinct results Agran: 30–40% 40–50% 50–60% 60–70% Kim: 30–40% 40–50% 50–60% 60–70% No votes | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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The 2024 mayoral election was held on November 5, 2024 and coincided with elections for city council.[6] Incumbent mayor Farrah Khan, who was first sworn into office in 2020, cannot seek re-election due to term limits.[7]
Background
Although Irvine's municipal elections are officially nonpartisan, candidates tend to associate themselves with either the Democratic or Republican Party.[6] In July 2023, term-limited incumbent mayor Farrah Khan had announced that she would run for the 3rd district seat of the Orange County Board of Supervisors against incumbent supervisor Don Wagner.[8] In March 2024, Khan lost to Wagner, who received greater than 50% of votes, avoiding a runoff election.[9]
In June 2022, ahead of the 2022 mayoral election, councilmembers Tammy Kim and Mike Carroll had introduced an agenda item to the Irvine City Council, which would have removed the mayoral seat from the ballot and switched it to an office appointed by the city council.[10] Kim alleged that she had never endorsed the move to change the seat, and had only agreed to serve as a second on the motion vote in exchange for Carroll's support for a different motion on the agenda. The day before the meeting, Carroll had attempted to pull the agenda-setting rule off the agenda following "strong public backlash", including official condemnation from the Orange County Democratic Party; nonetheless, it was brought to a vote and the city councilmembers voted to repeal the rule.[11] Had the rule passed, Irvine would have been the largest city in the United States without a directly elected mayor.[10]
In 2014, Irvine voters had approved a rule to its city charter such that councilmembers and the mayors can serve no more than two full two-year terms for life.[6] Agran was one of the longest serving city council members in Orange County, having served for over three decades on and off the city council since 1978,[12] alongside serving as mayor for five non-consecutive two-year terms.[13] In December 2022, Agran had resigned with a week left on his term in order to run for another four years on the city council, which prompted his colleague and fellow mayoral contender Tammy Kim to call it a "slippery power grab" and ask Agran if "40 years on the city council [was] not enough".[14]
Candidates
Declared
- Larry Agran (Democrat), at-large Irvine City Councilor (2022–present), former mayor of Irvine (1982–1984, 1986–1990, 2000–2004), and 1992 Democratic presidential candidate[15]
- Akshat Bhatia, realtor[16]
- Wing Chow (Republican),[17] retired Certified Public Accountant[16]
- Felipe Delgado (Republican),[18] automation project manager[16] at Fluor Corporation[19]
- Tammy Kim (Democrat), Vice Mayor (2020–2021, 2022–present) of the Irvine City Council (2020–present)[7]
- Ron Scolesdang (Republican),[17] business owner[16] and professional Muay Thai fighter[19]
- Liqing Lee Sun (Democrat),[18] Irvine Finance Commissioner (2022–present)[16] and engineer[19]
Withdrawn
- Katherine Daigle (Republican), writer and candidate for mayor in 2022[17] (running for South Orange County Community College District board trustee in Area 1)[20]
Endorsements
- Organizations
- Council on American–Islamic Relations Action California[21]
- U.S. Representatives
- Judy Chu, CA-28 (2009–present)[22]
- Andy Kim, NJ-3 (2019–present)[22]
- Grace Meng, NY-6 (2013–present)[22]
- Katie Porter, CA-47 (2019–present)[23]
- Brad Sherman, CA-32 (1997–present)[22]
- Statewide officials
- John Chiang, former California State Treasurer (2015–2019)[22]
- Fiona Ma, California State Treasurer (2019–present)[22]
- Betty Yee, California Democratic Party vice chair (2021–present) and former California State Controller (2015–2023)[7]
- State senators
- State assemblymembers
- Mike Eng, AD-49 (2006–2012)[7]
- Ash Kalra, AD-25 (2016–present)[22]
- Mike Fong, AD-49 (2022–present)[22]
- Evan Low, AD-49 (2014–present)[22]
- Cottie Petrie-Norris, AD-73 (2018–present)[22]
- Sharon Quirk-Silva, AD-65 (2012–2014, 2016–present)[22]
- Municipal officials
- Doug Chaffee, Orange County Supervisor from the 4th district (2019–present)[7]
- Katrina Foley, Orange County Supervisor from the 5th district (2021–present)[7]
- Local officials
- Joyce Ahn, Buena Park city councilor (2022–present)[7]
- Ashleigh Aitken, mayor of Anaheim (2022–present)[7]
- Valerie Amezcua, mayor of Santa Ana (2022–present)[22]
- Fred Jung, mayor of Fullerton (2021–2023)[22]
- John Lee, Los Angeles City Councilor from the 12th district (2019–present) (Independent)[7]
- Kim Bernice Nguyen, Garden Grove city councilor (2016–present)[7]
- Paul Seo, Rancho Palos Verdes city councilor (2022–present)[22]
- Kathleen Treseder, Irvine City Councilor (2022–present)[22]
- Labor unions
- Organizations
- Orange County Young Democrats[25]
- Planned Parenthood Action Fund[26]
- Political parties
- Political parties
- Local officials
- Farrah Khan, outgoing mayor of Irvine (2020–present)[28]
- Political parties
Fundraising
| Campaign finance reports as of December 31, 2024[a] | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Candidate | Raised | Spent | Cash on hand |
| Tammy Kim (D) | $112,378 | $229,318 | $4,072 |
| Larry Agran (D) | $117,162 | $126,923 | $5,652 |
| Liqing Lee Sun (D) | $27,098 | $27,098 | $0 |
| Ron Scolesdang (R) | $11,795 | $10,329 | $3,271 |
| Wing Chow (NPP) | $2,240 | $1,702 | $638 |
| Felipe Delgado (R) | $900 | $900 | $0 |
| Akshat Bhatia (NPP) | no filing | no filing | no filing |
| Source: City of Irvine[30] | |||
Results
| Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Larry Agran | 42,652 | 38.76 | |
| Tammy Kim | 37,924 | 34.46 | |
| Ron Scolesdang | 12,891 | 11.71 | |
| Liqing Lee Sun | 6,001 | 5.45 | |
| Felipe Delgado | 5,325 | 4.84 | |
| Akshat Bhatia | 2,761 | 2.51 | |
| Wing Chow | 2,496 | 2.27 | |
| Total votes | 110,050 | 100.0 | |
| Invalid or blank votes | 13,068 | 10.6 | |
Results by council district
| Districts won by Agran | |
| Districts won by Kim | |
| District | Agran | Kim | Scolesdang | Sun | Delgado | Bhatia | Chow | Margin | Total votes | ||||||||
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| Votes | % | Votes | % | Votes | % | Votes | % | Votes | % | Votes | % | Votes | % | Votes | % | ||
| District 1 | 7,343 | 38.46% | 6,301 | 33.00% | 2,339 | 12.25% | 1,210 | 6.34% | 789 | 4.13% | 605 | 3.17% | 505 | 2.65% | 1,042 | 3.82% | 19,092 |
| District 2 | 6,679 | 36.82% | 6,358 | 35.05% | 1,937 | 10.68% | 1,255 | 6.92% | 816 | 4.50% | 668 | 3.68% | 425 | 2.34% | 321 | 1.77% | 18,138 |
| District 3 | 9,157 | 41.70% | 6,633 | 30.21% | 2,762 | 12.58% | 1,240 | 5.65% | 1,154 | 5.26% | 491 | 2.24% | 521 | 2.37% | 2,524 | 11.49% | 21,958 |
| District 4 | 6,804 | 37.16% | 6,557 | 35.81% | 2,340 | 12.78% | 918 | 5.01% | 862 | 4.71% | 402 | 2.2% | 428 | 2.34% | 247 | 1.35% | 18,311 |
| District 5 | 8,232 | 40.85% | 6,796 | 33.73% | 2,484 | 12.33% | 846 | 4.20% | 1,104 | 5.48% | 320 | 1.59% | 369 | 1.83% | 1,436 | 7.11% | 20,151 |
| District 6 | 4,437 | 35.78% | 5,279 | 42.57% | 1,029 | 8.30% | 532 | 4.29% | 600 | 4.84% | 275 | 2.22% | 248 | 2.00% | 842 | 6.79% | 12,400 |
| Total | 42,652 | 38.76% | 37,924 | 34.46% | 12,891 | 11.71% | 6,001 | 5.45% | 5,325 | 4.84% | 2,761 | 2.51% | 2,496 | 2.27% | 4,728 | 4.30% | 110,050 |
See also
Notes
- Raised and spent figures reflect campaign activity during calendar year 2024 only and do not include prior periods.