Carl DeMaio has declared victory in a contentious race to represent much of East County in the state Assembly, which combined with the defeat of several progressive ballot measures may reflect the growing influence of conservative politics in blue California. The talk show host and former San Diego City Council member emailed supporters soon after Election Day to say he now aimed to remake the GOP in Sacramento. We have a “mandate to take our entire Reform California movement ‘inside the belly of the beast’ and help create a caucus of true principled fighters!” he wrote. “I can’t wait to get to work!” California’s reputation as a bastion of liberalism has perhaps always been overblown: This is the state that produced both Richard Nixon and Ronald Reagan. But although a majority of voters supported Kamala Harris in the presidential election, and Democrats continue to dominate the Statehouse, right-wing activists like DeMaio have celebrated several shifts. Residents last week moved to boost penalties for drug and property crimes with Proposition 36. A proposal to raise the minimum wage is on track to fail. So are measures that would have allowed cities to control rents and banned forced labor in prisons. Meanwhile, the city and county of San Diego are poised to reject a pair of tax hikes. It all adds up to a rightward turn for the state, said Carl Luna, a professor of political science at San Diego Mesa College and a lecturer at the University of San Diego. If the “GOP can capitalize on this and make these shifts stick,” he wrote in a message, “California may be more in play over the next decade.” DeMaio ran to represent the reliably conservative 75th Assembly District, which also includes part of inland North County. His GOP opponent, Lakeside Union School District board member Andrew Hayes, was endorsed by a broad coalition of labor unions, police and firefighter associations as well as seemingly every elected Republican in the region. Hayes has not posted a concession on social media and he did not immediately return a request for comment. The San Diego County Registrar of Voters had counted more than 1.3 million ballots as of Tuesday morning. Officials estimate that about 140,000 still need to be tallied. Other Statehouse campaigns The results of other races to represent San Diego County in Sacramento are similarly becoming clearer. Republican incumbent Laurie Davies continues to lead Chris Duncan, a Democratic San Clemente council member, in the 74th Assembly District, which covers North San Diego County and southern Orange County. “I think it’d be considered too close to call still,” Duncan said by phone. In the nearby 76th District, which also includes part of North County, the Democratic candidate declared victory Tuesday. “After losing my mother when I was 14, I knew I wanted to help people like her,” Darshana Patel, a research scientist and member of the Poway Unified school board, said in a statement. “Now as a mother of my own children, I decided to run for State Assembly because I want to help make our communities stronger, healthier, safer, and more affordable.” Patel’s opponent, Republican businesswoman Kristie Bruce-Lane, did not immediately return a request for comment. A concession has been given in the 79th District, which covers part of the city of San Diego and East County. La Mesa Councilmember Colin Parent posted a statement Monday saying he’d recently called and congratulated LaShea Sharp-Collins, a professor and education expert, who is well ahead in the count. “I offered her my full support, and I encourage all of my allies to do the same,” Parent wrote. The two Democrats had split endorsements from other members of the party. Sharp-Collins, however, has not formally declared victory. “We are following the results of this election very closely and it appears we will win,” she said in a statement. Nonetheless, there was value in waiting “until every ballot has been counted and every voice is heard.” In the 77th Assembly District, Democrat Tasha Boerner still leads Republican James Brown by a substantial margin. The same goes for David Alvarez, a Democratic incumbent who faced off against Republican Michael Williams in the 80th Assembly District. Democrat Chris Ward ran unopposed for another two-year term representing the 78th Assembly District. For state Senate, the California Legislature’s upper house, Democratic Assemblymember Akilah Weber has so far captured nearly two-thirds of all votes in her race against Republican Bob Divine. Senators serve four-year terms.