2026 Election Results: Dixon pulls ahead of Foley in closely watched OC Board of Supervisors District 5 race (original) (raw)
In the race for the District 5 seat on the OC Board of Supervisors, Diane Dixon pulled ahead of Katrina Foley as votes continued to roll in late Tuesday.
As of the last update, Dixon had 48.96% of the vote compared to Foley’s 45.08%. The Registrar of Voters will next update results at 5 p.m. on Wednesday.
Foley, the incumbent, had been leading Dixon most of the night. Educator Lucy Vellema trails far behind both.
The high-profile contest for the South County seat pits Foley, a Democrat, against Dixon, a Republican assemblywoman. Unless one candidate wins more than 50% of votes in the primary, the top two vote-getters will advance to a November runoff.
The District 5 seat spans Aliso Viejo, Costa Mesa, Dana Point, Laguna Beach, Laguna Hills, Laguna Niguel, Laguna Woods, Newport Beach, San Clemente, San Juan Capistrano, unincorporated areas as far inland as Coto de Caza and Ladera Ranch and parts of Irvine.
• Also see: June 2 Primary Election Results
Earlier in the night, Foley said she was feeling cautiously optimistic about initial returns, which she said typically account for “the most conservative votes” in the district.
“We’re really pleased with that first report,” she said. “I think we ran an excellent campaign and, most importantly, a positive campaign on what have I done for the voters and what will I do in the future.”
Dixon has represented Assembly District 72, which includes portions of the Board of Supervisors’ District 5, since 2022. Before that, she served on the Newport Beach City Council for eight years.
Dixon said a Republican majority on the Board of Supervisors could form a “very powerful force” against the Democratic supermajority in Sacramento. With the elections of Foley and Sarmiento in 2022, the board saw its first Democratic majority in decades.
Foley was the first female Democrat elected to the board when she won a special election in 2021. Prior to that, she served on the Costa Mesa City Council for 14 years.
Vellema is a teacher and school counselor in the Westminster School District. A first-time candidate and a Republican, Vellema said she’s running for office to reform the family court system.
Though the Board of Supervisors is a nonpartisan governing body, Republicans hold a slight voter registration edge in District 2.
The five-member board oversees a budget of nearly $11 billion and 18,000 employees across various departments, including public health, public safety, social services, animal care and public works.
The registrar of voters will continue to tally votes daily until all are counted. Continue to check back here for updates.