Steel a big winner over Mansoor in supervisor race
Michelle Steel cruised to victory Tuesday in her race against Assemblyman Allan Mansoor for the District 2 seat on the Orange County Board of Supervisors.
Mansoor, of Costa Mesa, and Steel, of Surfside, were vying for the spot currently held by termed-out Supervisor John Moorlach.
In the June primary election, Steel received 47.7 percent of the vote, more than twice as much as Mansoor, but she did not receive the majority required to avoid a runoff. On Tuesday, she recorded 62.4% of the vote.
As vice chairwoman of the state Board of Equalization, Steel built her campaign on her record of saving taxpayers money. Her Twitter handle is @TaxFighterSteel.
She credited the discovery of a multimillion-dollar tax mistake, and the return of millions in delayed security deposits to small-business owners, to a phone call she received from a constituent during her first year on the board.
Before the election, Steel argued that she would continue to advocate for taxpayers by ensuring that Measure M transportation funds not go toward building toll lanes on the 405 Freeway.
Meanwhile, Mansoor built his platform around rejecting the toll lane project proposed by the California Department of Transportation.
“It’s not enough to say you’re against toll lanes, as using Measure M funds to widen bridges will enable toll lanes,” Mansoor told the Daily Pilot in October, referring to a September decision by the Orange County Transportation Authority board to move forward with a 405 Freeway widening project that could allow room for toll lanes.
Mansoor accused Steel of using her bid for county supervisor as a springboard for a congressional seat if Rep. Dana Rohrabacher (R-Costa Mesa), who endorsed Steel this election, steps down.
Steel, who is married to GOP heavyweight Shawn Steel and moved to Orange County two years ago, spent about $800,000 on her run for supervisor, outspending Mansoor by about $644,000, according to campaign finance records.
Mansoor, a former Costa Mesa city councilman, branded himself as a longtime local with strong community ties.
Twitter: @TheDailyPilot