H.B. councilman gets in Assembly race
Huntington Beach City Councilman Joe Carchio has announced that he will run for the newly aligned 74th Assembly District.
Carchio, who has served on the dais since 2006, will face Assemblyman Allan Mansoor (R-Costa Mesa), Newport Beach Councilwoman Leslie Daigle and former California Republican Party Treasurer Keith Carlson in the June primary. Each candidate is a Republican.
Carchio, 74, said Thursday morning that he has yet to file all his paperwork but has made up his mind to run, more than a month after he first announced that he was considering it.
“I’m excited to get into this, and I think I’m somebody that can sit down and discuss situations and make fair and balanced decisions,” he said. “I’m excited to get started.”
Carchio said late last year that he was considering a run for the new 72nd Assembly District, but found soon after that he lived just over the boundary line in the 74th.
The boundaries were set last year by the California Citizens Redistricting Commission.
The newly shaped district includes the cities of Costa Mesa, Newport Beach, Huntington Beach, Irvine and Laguna Beach
Republican Party of Orange County Chairman Scott Baugh said earlier this month that he would ask his group to endorse Mansoor. Reached Thursday morning, Baugh said Carchio’s entry into the race would not change his plans.
About his competition in the 74th, Carchio had nothing but words of praise.
“They’re all fine people,” he said. “It’s going to be a barn-burner. Allan’s a good guy and he’s done a good job in the Assembly. Leslie and Keith are really formidable candidates. It’s going to be tough to win, but I think I can win. I wouldn’t have gone in it if I didn’t think I could win.”
In response to the Carchio’s entry into the race, Mansoor said: “I have a good track record of taking on the issues and I’m going to continue to do that.”
Huntington Beach Councilman Matthew Harper has declared his intention to run for the 72nd district. Carchio said it would have been awkward to run against his colleague for Assembly, but he would have joined the race regardless.
If Harper and Carchio are elected to the Assembly, the city can fill their seats either through appointments or a special election. City Clerk Joan Flynn said appointments would be more likely due to the cost of a special election, but noted that it was the City Council’s decision.
Staff Writer Joseph Serna also contributed to this report.
Twitter: @MichaelMillerHB