This story was last updated at 9:32 a.m. Wednesday
Democrat Monique Limón easily won election to the 19th District State Senate seat on Tuesday, with 65.8% of the vote, according to results reported by Santa Barbara and Ventura counties.
As of Wednesday morning, with almost 83% of precincts reporting, she led Republican Gary Michaels, who had 34.2% of the vote.
Limón is currently the representative for the 37th State Assembly District, and Michaels is a telecommunications consultant from Santa Maria.
| Monique Limón | 65.8% |
| Gary J. Michaels | 33.6% |
The 19th District has an open seat because Hannah-Beth Jackson cannot run for re-election due to term limits.
The district stretches from Santa Maria to Camarillo, and the new senator will serve a four-year term.
Limón came out ahead in the March 3 primary with 55.6% of the vote in a three-way race, and Michaels came in second with 39.2% of the vote, earning their spots on the ballot for the Nov. 3 general election.
Santa Barbara County residents are represented by two state Assembly districts, and both seats were on the ballot this year.
Jordan Cunningham 52.0% Dawn Addis 48.3%
The 35th District covers San Luis Obispo County and northern Santa Barbara County, including Santa Maria, Guadalupe and Lompoc, while the 37th District includes southern Santa Barbara County and portions of Ventura County.
Incumbent Jordan Cunningham, R-Templeton, and Dawn Addis, a Morro Bay Democrat, faced off for the 35th District seat.
With all precincts reporting, Cunningham was leading with a combined 52.0% of the vote from San Luis Obispo and Santa Barbara counties. Addis received 48.3%.
In Santa Barbara County, Cunningham had 54.6% of the vote.
For the 37th District seat, candidates Steve Bennett, a Ventura County Democrat, and Charles Cole, a Santa Barbara Republican, were on the ballot.
Steve Bennett 69.3% Charles W. Cole 30.7%
Bennett won easily with 69.3% of the vote, with his largest lead in Santa Barbara County, where he had a reported 72.3%.
Cole received 30.7% overall.
There was a seven-candidate race in the primary, and the crowded field was partly due to the fact it was an open seat, since Limón is running for the 19th District Senate seat.
Unofficial election results are still developing and are likely to change as more ballots are received and processed on Tuesday night and the days afterward.
Ballots postmarked by Nov. 3 can arrive at the Santa Barbara County Elections Office by Nov. 20 and be counted.
County election results are typically finalized and certified several weeks after an election.
— Noozhawk staff writer Jade Martinez-Pogue can be reached at jmartinez-pogue@noozhawk.com. Follow Noozhawk on Twitter: @noozhawk, @NoozhawkNews and @NoozhawkBiz. Connect with Noozhawk on Facebook.
