Orange County didn’t get its way when it voted for Hillary Clinton in November, but there’s a good chance it will get a woman to lead local Democrats when the party picks its next chief Jan. 9.

County Democratic Party Chairman Henry Vandermeir is stepping down after four years, during which he oversaw the party narrow Republicans’ voter registration advantage from 10 percentage points to 3.7 points. He also watched the county vote for the Democratic presidential nominee for the first time since 1936.

For now, the leading candidates to replace him are Mission Viejo’s Fran Sdao, southern vice chair of the party, and former Westminster City Councilwoman Diana Carey.

If either gets the gig, she would be the first woman to lead the county party since Huntington Beach’s Jeanne Costales, who stepped down in 2001.

But there’s still time for the field to grow.

Gay-rights activist Jeff LeTourneau, who lost his 2013 bid to Vandermeir in a 36-21 vote of the party’s governing Central Committee, said he’s considering another bid in an effort to bring more progressive leadership to the party.

Former state Sen. Joe Dunn told me it’s “unlikely” he’ll pursue the job, which I interpret as meaning there’s still an outside chance he could go for it. Given his name recognition, contacts, fundraising ability and experience, Dunn would be the favorite if he throws his hat in the ring.

Fundraising is a key part of the chairman’s job, as it is key in determining the breadth of voter registration and get-out-the-vote efforts, and how much the party can chip in to help local candidates. Recruiting strong local candidates is also an important part of the job – and having money to help their candidacies makes it easier to recruit.

Unfulfilled potential

Sdao was president of Capistrano Unified Children First, a PAC that raised a half million dollars in efforts that helped recall two of the school district’s board members, win voter approval for district elections and help get six candidates elected to the seven-member board.

Carey served on the Westminister council from 2012 until losing her reelection bid in November. The retired high school principal has been picked by Rep. Alan Lowenthal’s representative on the county Central Committee for the upcoming term.

She points to her fundraising experience as a candidate and on behalf of nonprofits.

Both women are longtime volunteers, with Carey being named the Westminster Chamber of Commerce’s 2016 citizen of the year for her charitable activities.

Carey emphasizes the need to strengthen relationships with the Asian, Latino and youth communities, while Sdao points to the need to elect more Democrats to local office.

While Orange County Democrats have been steadily gaining ground against Republicans in voter registration over the past 26 years, their ability to win local posts has lagged.

There are nearly as many Democrats as Republicans in the county, but all five members of the Board of Supervisors are Republican, as are the sheriff and district attorney.

Orange County Democrats gained an Assembly seat in November, giving them two of the county’s seven Assembly posts. But the election also showed Democrats’ potential for greater gains, as Clinton prevailed in four of the five districts where Republican Assembly candidates won.

Infighting

Party chairman, whether Democrat or Republican, can be a thankless job – particularly given the perennial infighting by factions within the party.

“Everybody just seems to be at each other’s throats all the time,” Barbaro said in 2012 about his decision to step down after 12 years. “I don’t want to do it anymore.”

There may be an aspect of that behind Vandermeir’s decision as well, although his stated reason is to spend more time at the communications firm he runs with his wife and to travel.

Despite the infighting and the surging Democrats, county GOP chief Fred Whitaker says he will seek reelection at his party’s meeting later this month. So far, no challengers have surfaced.

Contact the writer: mwisckol@ocregister.com