Chris Kluwe was leading Gracey Van Der Mark in the Huntington Beach election results for the 72nd CA Assembly District seat on Election Night 2026, with over 51% of the vote at 10:30 p.m. Van Der Mark had just over 48% and trailed by around 4,400 votes.
The race pointed toward a change in who represents Orange County’s coast in the CA Assembly. Kluwe’s lead came in a contest shaped by a seat Diane Dixon is leaving to run for Orange County Supervisor against Katrina Foley.
72nd CA Assembly District
The numbers at 10:30 p.m. put Kluwe ahead, but they still described an election-night tally rather than a final result. That matters because the reported gap of around 4,400 votes left the race open to additional counting before any final certification.
Kluwe and Van Der Mark had already been in the same political orbit before this race. Over the last couple of years, they repeatedly clashed in Huntington Beach City Council chambers, giving the Assembly contest an unusual level of local familiarity.
Chris Kluwe in Huntington Beach
Kluwe also entered the race with a profile that extended beyond this campaign. He repeatedly spoke out at Huntington Beach City Council meetings, and he was once arrested and cited for disrupting one of those meetings.
His campaign was heavily financed by the California Democratic Party, while a series of Republican groups sent attack ads at his campaign separate from Van Der Mark’s operation. That made the early lead more than a simple vote count; it reflected a contest with outside money on one side and a long local record on the other.
Election Night 2026
For readers in Orange County, the immediate issue is whether Kluwe’s Election Night edge holds as more ballots are counted. The race was close enough to keep the result from being settled by the first late-night tally, and the final count will determine whether the coastal Assembly seat changes hands.
