May 15, 2025

Huntington Beach, Calif. -- Today, Huntington Beach Council Member, Gracey Van Der Mark announced her campaign to run for the California State Assembly in the 72^nd Assembly District. The current Assemblymember, Diane Dixon, is running for the Orange County Board of Supervisors.

Gracey Van Der Mark is the definition of the American Dream. Born to the parents of immigrants, Van Der Mark grew up in a low-income community and survived an abusive first marriage. 

“As the survivor of domestic violence, I have lived through very dark times but what drove me through those times was my belief in the American Dream and my innate desire to make sure my children could grow up in a safe community with great schools and unlimited economic opportunities.” 

“Former Huntington Beach Mayor and current Councilmember Van Der Mark’s entry into this race makes her the prohibitive front-runner to take this conservative Assembly seat,” said Jon Fleischman, respected political observer and longtime Publisher of the FlashReport website on California politics. “Given her tremendous positive name identification amongst Republicans in Huntington Beach, by far the largest city in the district, it’s really hard to imagine who else could even enter the race and be competitive.”

Not one to shy away from tough issues since being on the City Council, Van Der Mark has championed fiscal responsibility, election integrity, and public safety while protecting her community from dictates and mandates from Sacramento.

Gracey and her husband have lived in Huntington Beach for over twenty years and are raising their blended family of seven children there. 

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