Early returns indicated on election day that incumbents Scott Wilk and Henry Stern, who represent the Santa Clarita Valley in the state Senate, were doing well in their respective re-election bids.
In the race for the 21st Senate District, which represents the Antelope, Santa Clarita and Victor valleys, Wilk, R-Santa Clarita, led the race with 17,787 votes (59.2%) of the vote as of 9:50 p.m. as the only Republican candidate against four Democrats, with 68.9% of precincts reporting.
“We campaigned hard across the district, calling voters and asking for their vote,” said Wilk. “People are concerned that California is going in the wrong direction and I share that view. I’m the person to vote for if you want to see change, whether it’s stopping higher taxes and lower regulation.”
In second was Democrat Kipp Mueller, a workers rights attorney, with 9,177 votes, or 16.1%, according to lavote.net.
“I am encouraged by the early returns tonight. Our community is ready to have their voice heard in Sacramento, and I am grateful for the support throughout this campaign and tonight,” Mueller said as preliminary numbers were released Tuesday night. “We can anticipate a long night ahead, without official results for some time, but for now I simply want to say thank you. Together, our community is unstoppable.”
Dana LaMon, a retired judge from Lancaster, followed with 5,990 votes, or 10.5%, then came Warren Heaton, an immigration attorney and professor from Santa Clarita, with 4,934 votes (8.7%) and businessman Steve Hill with 3,117 votes (5.5%).
Wilk has been in office since 2016, after winning that year with nearly 53% of the vote against Democratic candidate Johnathon Ervin. The incumbent also ran for state Assembly and won in 2012 and 2014.
27th Senate District
Incumbent state Sen. Henry Stern, D-Calabasas, is seeking re-election against one other candidate, Republican Houman Salem, who is a West Hills fashion executive.
Stern led the race with 61.2% of the votes, or 23,074 votes and Salem earned 14,635 votes or 38.8%, according to preliminary state tallies with 46.6% of precincts reporting.
The incumbent has served in the California Senate since 2016, after defeating Republican Steve Fazio with 55.85% of the vote. He currently serves in multiple legislative committees, such as the Budget and Fiscal Review and Environmental Quality committees.
