California State Assemblywoman Janet Nguyen and Huntington Beach Councilwoman Kim Carr share many beliefs.
They both support a ban on offshore drilling. Both think access to voting should be easy. They both want to suspend California’s gas tax, at least temporarily, due to the current high prices.They’re also both on board with California’s climate change policies, and they support limited mandates to help fight COVID-19.
On a more personal level, both live in Huntington Beach and have two children.
What’s more, Carr said, “We’re both competitive. Janet plays to win, and so do I.”
But only one of them can win this prize: Becoming the first state Senator to represent a newly drawn district that boasts the distinction of encompassing every grain of sand in Orange County. California State Senate District 36 stretches from Seal Beach to San Clemente, and sprawls inland to include Fountain Valley, Westminster, Garden Grove, Cypress, Buena Park and Cerritos.
Because Carr and Nguyen are the only two candidates in SD-36 — and because in California the top two vote getters in a primary advance to the general election — the June 7 vote isn’t key. Instead, Republican Nguyen, 45, and Democrat Carr, 51, are guaranteed to face off in a winner-take-all vote in November.
Nguyen’s path
While the newly drawn district has no incumbent within its boundaries, a number of those north county cities currently are in Assemblywoman Nguyen’s 72nd Assembly District. Nguyen already served a term in the state Senate, starting in 2014. She lost that seat to Democrat Tom Umberg in 2018, but returned to Sacramento in 2020 when she was elected to her two-year term for AD-72.
Umberg is running for reelection in SD-34, a solidly blue district that would have been a tough battleground for Nguyen.
But last year’s redrawing of political boundaries, based on the latest census, put Nguyen’s home in SD-36, meaning she’s eligible to run there. County data from April 15 also shows a potential slim advantage for Republican candidates in SD-36, with about 37.7% of the voters in the new district registered with the GOP, versus 33.5% who are registered as Democrats and 23% who are no party preference.
The race is the latest in a long string of political steps for Nguyen.
Elected to the Garden Grove City Council in her 20s, and then to the County Board of Supervisors, Nguyen “lives and breathes” politics, said Newport Beach political consultant Adam Probolsky.
“I have every expectation that Janet pulls off whatever she pursues,” Probolsky said.
Carr’s (shorter) path
Carr won her first elected position – on the Huntington Beach City Council – in 2018. A media marketing executive, she previously served in an appointed role as a member of the city’s Public Works Commission.
Despite Nguyen’s name recognition – and the district’s slight GOP lean — Carr believes voters will appreciate her record on the council.
As mayor in 2021, Carr negotiated coronavirus hurdles and an alarming offshore oil spill. And even with the pandemic challenges, Carr noted, the city remained strong financially.
In answers to an Orange County Register survey, Nguyen and Carr took stands that, largely, support those advocated nationally by their respective parties.
Nguyen described herself as “pro-life,” while Carr said, “I believe in a woman’s right to choose.” Carr supports a single-payer healthcare system while Nguyen opposes it. Carr supports the legality of gay marriage; Nguyen did not respond to that question. Nguyen opposes California’s sanctuary laws to protect undocumented immigrants; Carr did not respond.
Local issues
On some (but not all) key issues germane to their voters, such as offshore drilling, Carr and Nguyen are more in sync.
The 25,000-gallon spill off the coast of Huntington Beach in October heightened concerns about aging underwater pipes that carry fuel from rigs, and the environmental disaster that could occur with a major leak.
Though it didn’t harm the environment as much as initially feared, the spill made offshore oil drilling all the more unpopular politically – especially for State Senate candidates looking to represent communities that, combined, have 42 miles of beach.
Although Nguyen eschews oil exploration in California waters, she embraces it elsewhere. “We must do more to increase oil production where it is environmentally safe in our country and reduce the reliance on foreign oil producers,” she said.
Both candidates say they want tax relief for small businesses. Nguyen added that California should “reduce the red tape and regulations that drive up the costs of goods.”
They likewise agree that the state should make building new houses easier.
On homelessness, Nguyen said: “First, we need to remove the homeless camps from our streets and seriously address the root causes of homelessness, which are substance abuse and mental illness. We need to demand accountability from everyone involved. The state has spent $17 billion on homeless programs but the homeless problem has gotten worse.”
Carr put it this way: “We need to ensure we are providing services for both people who are experiencing chronic homelessness and require more intense support for? and those that are living paycheck to paycheck and need more economic and job training support. This issue should be treated like the crisis it is.”
The councilwoman touted her role in addressing homelessness in Huntington Beach.
“As mayor, I helped launch our Mobile Crisis Response Units, which help people experiencing mental health challenges for nonviolent, non-emergency police calls, Carr said. “This program has freed up our police officers to focus on preventing and solving crime-related issues. I would look toward implementing similar programs statewide.”
During her stint on the council, Carr noted that Huntington Beach also “opened a 128-bed navigation center providing services for unhoused residents.”
Though they overlap on some policy positions, they do see themselves as different, politically. On a scale of one to 10, with one being most liberal and 10 most conservative, Nguyen ranked herself an eight while Carr ranked herself at five.
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