April Election Set for Seat That Campbell Left

A special primary election will be held April 11 in coastal Orange County to fill a vacancy in the state Senate caused by the election of Sen. John Campbell (R-Irvine) to Congress.

The date, announced Thursday by the governor’s office, provided county politicos a four-month breather after three special elections this fall.

Former Rep. Christopher Cox, a Newport Beach Republican, started this game of political musical chairs in July. That’s when he was nominated to be chairman of the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. He was confirmed by the Senate and sworn in Aug. 2.

Then a heated race for Cox’s congressional seat began. Campbell led a pack of 17 candidates in an Oct. 4 primary, then sailed into Congress after the general election Dec. 6. (In between, voters statewide also went to the polls Nov. 8.)

The April 11 primary for the 35th State Senate District seat places all candidates, regardless of party, on the same ballot. If none gets a majority, the top finishers in each party will face off June 8 as part of the state’s regular June primary.