California primary results: Irwin out front in state Assembly District 42

This story will be updated with results as they become available.

Incumbent Assemblymember Jacqui Irwin topped challenger Ted Nordblum in the latest returns from the March 5 primary election for the 42nd Assembly District seat.

Irwin garnered 54.5% of the 143,201 votes counted by the Ventura County and Los Angeles County election divisions as of 4 p.m. on March 29.

Irwin's lead was narrower within Ventura County, where she beat Nordblum with 50.8% of 98,086 votes in the county's share of the results. The county officially certified its count on March 29, according to the county elections office.

The top two vote-getters advance to the general election, making it a near-certainty that both Irwin and Nordblum will make the ballot on Nov. 5. The primary race nevertheless provides a preview of the challenge Nordblum could mount in the fall.

Irwin held a commanding lead in the first batches of votes released by election officials shortly after polls closed at 8 p.m. on March 5. Those tallies were mostly composed of ballots cast in person, received by mail or dropped off in the weeks before Election Day.

But the gap between candidates narrowed as election workers tallied in-person, drop-off and mail-in votes cast on Election Day.

Los Angeles County election officials said they plan to certify their own count on March 29.

Read past coverage: Meet the state's 42nd Assembly District candidates

Irwin, a Democrat, has served in the assembly since 2014. Nordblum is a Republican businessman. The two candidates last faced off in the June 2022 primary when Irwin topped a field of three and Nordblum finished third.

California law restricts legislators to a maximum of 12 years across the two-house state Legislature, meaning that if Irwin wins, the two-year Assembly term will be her last.

The 42nd District was redrawn over Irwin's former 44th District after the 2020 election. Today, it sweeps from Camarillo across much of east Ventura County and into Los Angeles County through Malibu to the Pacific Palisades and Bel Air.

Isaiah Murtaugh covers education for the Ventura County Star in partnership with Report for America. Reach him at isaiah.murtaugh@vcstar.com or 805-437-0236 and follow him on Twitter @isaiahmurtaugh and @vcsschools. You can support this work with a tax-deductible donation to Report for America.

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This article originally appeared on Ventura County Star: Primary results: Irwin out front in state Assembly District 42