Democrats lead in races that will decide Orange County board control

Democrats were on track to keep their Orange County Board of Supervisors majority as Katrina Foley and Connor Traut led their races in preliminary returns Wednesday evening, according to Voice of OC. Neither race was resolved.

Democrats must hold both seats to retain control of the county board. Losing either would restore a Republican majority alongside sitting Supervisors Don Wagner and Janet Nguyen, Voice of OC reported.

Foley, the incumbent supervisor in the Fifth District, had 51.6% of the vote to Republican Assemblywoman Diane Dixon's 48.3%, according to Voice of OC. Foley's lead exceeded 6,000 votes in the district covering much of South Orange County.

In the Fourth District, along the county's northeastern edge, Traut had 50.3% of the vote and led by 824 votes. Traut, the Democratic mayor of Buena Park, faced Tim Shaw, a Republican trustee on the Orange County Board of Education.

Both Democrats led in the initial election night returns. Shaw moved ahead early Wednesday, but the county Registrar of Voters' evening update put Traut back in front, Voice of OC reported.

The districts presented different voter-registration conditions. Republicans held an advantage of around 20,000 registered voters in Foley's district, while Voice of OC reported an 11.1% Democratic registration advantage over Republicans in the Fourth District.

A union coalition spent more than $2.5 million on advertising supporting Foley. Advertisers backing Traut, including a coalition of county unions, also heavily outspent Shaw and his supporters, according to Voice of OC.

The reported standings reflected the count as of 5 p.m. Wednesday. The next ballot-count update was scheduled for 5 p.m. Thursday, with control of the board still unsettled.