Limón opens up big lead over Michaels in State Senate’s 19th District race

With 65 percent of precincts reporting, Democratic State Assemblymember Monique Limón is in prime position to win the State Senate's open District 19 seat over Republican Santa Maria business owner Gary Michaels.

Limón has more than twice as many votes through this update, topping the 200,000 mark.

“This is a district that means a lot to me,” Limón said. “I was born and raised in this district. I’m honored to work in this district, to represent this district. So I have a lot of roots and accountability here for the district.”

Michaels says he's disappointed to see the results come in but not entirely surprised. He acknowledged that he was up against a steep challenge as a political newcomer with little campaign funding, campaigning mostly online due to the pandemic.

Michaels, who considers himself a moderate candidate, says the GOP has work to do to appeal to California voters and adjust to the state's progressive leanings.

“The [GOP] has to come in there and provide, fill in the vacuum, fill in the space, the things that are not accomplished by the party that’s in the majority,” he said. “I think that needs to be articulated in a way that resonates with voters.”

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Both candidates are vying to represent the State Senate's 19th District--which covers all of Santa Barbara County and the western part of Ventura County.

The district's seat is opening up as state senator Hannah-Beth Jackson cannot run again due to term limits.

Limón is completing her fourth year representing the 37th District in the State Assembly. She says that role has given her experience understanding the process in the state legislature, something that's crucial for a state senate candidate to have.

The assemblymember also points to her record helping the community respond to crisis, going back to the 2017 Thomas Fire and 2018 Montecito mudslides.

In the case of the COVID-19 pandemic, Limón says she already has helped get necessary information to the community through 11 virtual town halls with experts discussing how to handle education, insurance, small businesses and unemployment during the pandemic.

Michaels says the current state of the area requires a candidate like himself, who goes against the political status quo of the district. He says his experience as a business owner would allow him to collaborate with everybody, and not fall into unproductive partisan patterns.

Michaels says he would engage with more stakeholders than Limón, and be able to better address issues such as creating more clean energy jobs, attracting high tech employers throughout the district, and holding education programs accountable.

He also says Limón has an extreme voting record that goes beyond the political leanings of the district. Limón says that 95 percent of the bills she has authored that have been signed by the governor have had bipartisan support.

For a more extensive look at the candidates, visit our preview story for this race or our comprehensive Voter Guide.