Orange, Calif. — Upon release of a new poll for the heated Orange County District Attorney race this June, Orange County Democrats once again affirmed strong, unified support for Marine Judge Advocate and District Attorney candidate Pete Hardin.
Hardin’s credentials and his commitment to common sense, modern justice reform have catapulted his explosive campaign for Orange County District Attorney. Because of his consistent campaign growth, strong fundraising, and unified grassroots community support, he secured a rare early endorsement from the Democratic Party of Orange County in August.
The poll shows current District Attorney Todd Spitzer has weak support despite a 25-year political career in Orange County, with only 35% of likely voters saying they would re-elect him. After voters heard messaging on both candidates, polling showed Hardin and Spitzer are statistically tied, reflecting the strength of first-time candidate Hardin.
Ada Briceño, Chairwoman of the Democratic Party of Orange County, stated:
“This exciting poll proves Pete Hardin has a clear path to victory. The Democratic Party of Orange County is proud to stand with Pete Hardin and his vision for a justice system rooted in equity, fairness, integrity, and accountability. People are desperate for common sense justice reform, and Hardin is listening and prepared to serve.
Todd Spitzer’s time is up. We’ve seen enough from this 25-year career Republican politician. His shocking failures are the opposite of justice. From enabling sexual harassment to exploiting crime victims for political gain and allegations of pay-to-play corruption, Spitzer has no business serving as Orange County’s top prosecutor. This poll shows how important organizing, educating, and energizing Orange County voters is to the future of our justice system. This June, we must vote Spitzer out.”
About the Democratic Party of Orange County
Once famously known as “Reagan country,” after President Reagan called Orange County the place where “all good Republicans go to die,” Orange County is rapidly shifting from a Republican stronghold into a highly diverse Democratic metropolis. Over the past four years, Orange County Democrats built a 5-point gain in voter registration and now outpace the OC GOP by more than two points.
Chairwoman Ada Briceño, a longtime labor organizer, Co-President of UNITE HERE Local 11, and Democratic National Committee member, is the first immigrant and second Latina to lead the Democratic Party of Orange County. At age 23, Executive Director Ajay Mohan became the youngest person and first Indian-American to hold that role.
Orange County Democrats keep scoring historic victories in recent elections. In 2018, they famously swept all seven Congressional seats in Orange County. In 2019, OC Democrats overtook countywide voter registration to become the region’s leading political party. In 2020, OC Democrats flipped 20 local seats and two state senate seats from red to blue, including in deep-red areas of the county. In 2021, OC Democrats powered Katrina Foley to become the first Democrat to represent the Orange County Board of Supervisors’ 2nd District in 127 years and the first female Democrat to serve in the Board’s history.
Orange County is the nation’s sixth largest county, with 3.2 million residents and more than 650,000 registered Democratic voters.