At 10:40 p.m. on Tuesday night, the numbers looked good for Al Muratsuchi.
With just 4.8 percent of his precincts counted, the Democratic candidate for California’s 66th Assembly District led incumbent Republican David Hadley by just under 1,800 votes, taking 53.4 percent of the electorate to Hadley’s 46.6 percent.
But as he stood at a podium at the DoubleTree Torrance’s penthouse the mood in the room was muted.
“I’ve got to say, I’m feeling a little schizophrenic right now,” Muratsuchi said.
The crowd of dozens of Democratic supporters before him was split, excited for their chosen candidate while trying desperately to fight worries about the night’s national Presidential election, in which Republican candidate Donald Trump was ultimately declared the victor over Democrat Hillary Clinton.
“I have an idea for my first bill: For California to secede,” he joked, breaking the discomfort in the room.
Throughout the night, supporters of both Muratsuchi and Clinton bounced between happiness and distress. One local politician even said he felt sick to his stomach — that he was more nervous for Clinton than he was in his own election.
Yet Muratsuchi’s message wasn’t one of fear but optimism.
“We’re seeing the rest of the country, and the importance this holds for all of America…the rest of the nation is divided,” he said, overlooking a room of White, Asian, Hispanic and Black supporters. “We are the beautiful diversity, and we still have so much work to do.”
As votes rolled in, Muratsuchi’s initial lead bore out. Ultimately, semi-official election results show that Muratsuchi took the 66th District Assembly seat with 53 percent of the electorate, garnering 69,410 votes to Hadley’s 61,489.
The race began as an attempt for Muratsuchi to retake the Assembly seat he lost to Hadley in 2014 after one term, in keeping with a Republican surge in races across the country.
“This year promises to be a very different kind of election year,” he said shortly before the June primary election that confirmed his rematch with Hadley.
This year’s contest, however, took a dive into the mud as both Hadley and Muratsuchi took turns attacking each others’ character. For Hadley, that meant attempting to tie Muratsuchi to child predators, via a vote supporting a measure that would have expedited the process to remove problem teachers from schools. For Muratsuchi, that meant attempting to tie Hadley to incendiary Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump.
Ultimately, Muratsuchi credited the work of his campaign workers and volunteers, including those who pounded the pavement canvassing for Muratsuchi, for his eventual victory.
“The ground game is the most essential part of what it takes to get someone elected; we have the best interaction with the voters,” said canvassing coordinator La Bomba Jackson, of Groundwork Campaigns. “We put our head down and we work, and we came together with a great crew that gave their all.”
As Muratsuchi closed his speech, thanking his supporters, he indicated that the night was still far from over.
“Let’s keep fighting,” he said.
Three miles away at Rock & Brews, at Pacific Coast Highway and Palos Verdes Boulevard, David Hadley’s party was mostly subdued.
But as Hadley prepared to give his thoughts on the night’s election, a cheer rang out from one of the few dozen supporters who were still hanging around at 11:30 p.m. They, and Hadley’s other Republican faithful, were celebrating news that Clinton had conceded to Trump.
Hadley stared at the television in silence, and after gathering his thoughts, spoke.
“All along, I was one of the few elected to have announced that neither candidate was fit for office,” Hadley said, recalling his July 29 op-ed in the Daily Breeze announcing that he would vote for neither Clinton nor Trump.
By that time, the returns had stayed the same in his race against Muratsuchi, and while the outlook was bleak, he remained optimistic.
“It was a long night then [in 2014], and it’s going to be a long night tonight,” Hadley said. “The last precincts counted then were some of my strongest supporters in Palos Verdes, and we’ll be checking all night.”
Though the race ultimately did not go his way, Manhattan Beach-based Hadley resolved to stick around. “Whether I’m elected or not, I will continue to fight for the values America stands for,” Hadley said. “It’s time for America to move forward.” ER
