State Senator, District 36

Tony Strickland is a Republican and the sitting Senator for this district. He grew up the son of an Army drill sergeant and studied political science at Whittier College. He served in the Assembly starting in 1998 and first served in the State Senate starting in 2008. After leaving office he became a visiting scholar at USC. He then won a seat on the Huntington Beach City Council in 2022. In 2025 he returned to the State Senate.

He says he is running to make California more affordable. He wants to stand up to Sacramento after three decades of advocacy for state families. In 2026 he wrote a school health bill. It folds lessons on nutrition, sleep and stress management into existing class time, without adding new mandates. It passed with support from both parties, and Governor Newsom signed it into law. Strickland said the bill was personal because he lost a childhood friend to health choices made when young.

He promises fiscal responsibility, letting taxpayers keep more of their earnings, and cutting government waste. He also lists public safety and election integrity among his priorities. He points to his lifetime top rating from a taxpayer advocacy group as evidence of his record.

Chris Duncan is a Democrat. Duncan spent 16 years as a federal prosecutor at U.S. Customs and Border Protection and the Justice Department. They prosecuted child predators, drug smugglers and human traffickers. They later became the first Democratic mayor in San Clemente's history. They also serve on the county Fire Authority board and an Assessment Appeals Board. They now work as an attorney fighting tariffs on behalf of American companies.

Duncan says their work as a prosecutor and mayor was about making communities safer and more affordable. That is what they want to bring to Sacramento. They have not served in the state Legislature. As a federal attorney, they now penalize foreign companies for trade violations. That work is behind their campaign label as an anti-tariff attorney.

Duncan promises to make California more affordable and to cut red tape for families and small businesses. They say they would reform a tax system that burdens lower income residents while letting corporations avoid taxes. They also list public safety and government accountability among their priorities. They promise to protect reproductive rights.