Irvine, Calif. —Polling released by Lake Research today of California’s 37th State Senate District shows UC Irvine law professor Dave Min (D- Irvine) in a strong position to defeat incumbent John Moorlach (R- Costa Mesa), finding him 9 points ahead of the Trump supporting Republican in a general election matchup.
The poll, which was conducted among 608 likely voters by live telephone (cell and landline), shows Min leading Moorlach 46 to 37 in a simulated general election ballot between the two, with a whopping 54-28 advantage among no party preference and third party voters.
The poll also shows Min in a dominant position to advance out of the primary. In an initial ballot test where voters were given the candidate names, party and ballot titles only, Min held an 8 point lead over his Democratic primary opponent Costa Mesa Mayor Katrina Foley, with a 14 point lead among Democrats.
After a brief description of each candidate’s background and likely message, Min’s lead over Foley grows to 10 points among all primary voters and remains at +14 among Democratic primary voters and +20 over NPP primary voters.
After voters were informed about the likely positive and negative messages about each candidate, including negatives on all the candidates, Min’s lead over Foley grew to 21 points, with a 33 point edge among Democratic primary voters.
These results demonstrate that Min, who is running to be the first Asian-American Democrat elected from Orange County to the state legislature, not only understands the unique challenges facing OC families — including fighting for universal health care, tackling climate change, investing in education, improving our infrastructure, creating good-paying jobs, tackling homelessness, addressing the high cost of housing, and keeping taxes low on working families — but also has the broad-based appeal necessary to win this District and help California lead the path to the 21st Century.
Click here to view the polling memo.
“These recent results are a clear testament to the strength of the people-powered movement we’re building here in SD37,” said Dave Min. “I’m proud to be able to say we have the support of OC families in our fight for quality education, economic development, solutions for climate change, addressing the homelessness crisis and more. That said, we won’t be taking anything for granted – and will be hard at work in the coming months connecting to voters about our bold progressive vision for this District’s future.”
“As a native Californian and the son of Korean immigrants, Dave Min uniquely understands the American Dream and its importance to Californian families,” said Min campaign spokesperson Orrin Evans. “The numbers here show that Dave’s message of a better, brighter future for SD37 and our state resonates deeply with local voters. A political outsider, Dave has what it takes to stand up to John Moorlach and Donald Trump to create real, lasting change for this District.”
Click here to view the polling memo.
Since announcing his candidacy on January 8th, Min has been endorsed by an overwhelming number of local elected officials, state wide leaders, activists, and organizations, including:
- The Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence
- California Federation of Teachers
- Newport-Mesa Federation of Teachers, AFT 1794
- University Council – American Federation of Teachers
- Coast Federation of Classified Employees
- California Asian & Pacific Islander Legislative Caucus
- California Controller Betty Yee
- Congressman Pete Aguilar
- Congressman Ami Bera
- Congresswoman Judy Chu
- Congressman Gil Cisneros
- Congressman Ted Lieu
- Congressman Alan Lowenthal
- Congressman Andy Kim
- Congressman Scott Peters
- Congressman Mark Takano
- State Senator Dr. Richard Pan
- Assemblymember Patrick O’Donnell
- Assemblymember Sharon Quirk-Silva
- California Democratic Party Secretary Jenny Bach
- CDP Environmental Caucus Chair RL Miller
- Orange County Board of Education Trustee Beckie Gomez
- Mayor of Aliso Viejo Ross Chun
- LA City Councilmember David Ryu
- Aliso Viejo Councilmember Tiffany Ackley
- Eastvale Councilmember Jocelyn Yow
- Laguna Woods Councilmember Shari Horne
- Garden Grove Councilmember Diedre Nguyen
- Artesia Councilmember Ali Taj
- Former Irvine Mayor Sukhee Kang
- Former Irvine City Councilmember MaryAnn Gaido
- Former Laguna Beach Mayor Ann Christoph
- Former Laguna Beach City Councilmember Verna Rollinger
- Santa Ana Board of Education Valerie Amezcua
- Local School Board Trustee Barbara Schulman
- Centralia School District Trustee Jerry Flores
- Mt. SAC College Board of Trustees Jay Chen
- LA Community College Board President Mike Fong
A full endorsement list can be found HERE.
David Min is a University of California Irvine Law Professor, father of three, and a former economic policy staffer in the United States Senate and for the Center for American Progress. Min began his legal career at the Securities and Exchange Commission to protect the retirement security of seniors, turning down high paying jobs to serve the public interest. He is a leading expert on banking and housing policy.
California State Senate District 37 is located in Orange County and includes the communities of Anaheim, Costa Mesa, Foothill Ranch, Huntington Beach, Irvine, Laguna Beach, Laguna Woods, Newport Beach, Orange, Tustin, and Villa Park.
Who paid for the poll?
well, it’s a press release so I think it’s safe to assume Min paid for the poll. And when Foley trots out her poll, I’ll run that press release too. But Min continues to win every straw poll and pre-caucus endorsement by large margins. He is also winning the fundraising race too, especially with contributors from the district.