Former Vikings Punter Now Leading In Razor-Thin California Election

ORANGE COUNTY, CA — A former Minnesota Vikings punter has moved into the lead in one of California's tightest legislative contests, more than a week after Election Day.

Chris Kluwe, a Democrat, was ahead of Republican Gracey Van Der Mark by 632 votes in the race for California's 72nd Assembly District as of Friday, according to unofficial state election results. Kluwe had 109,612 votes, or 50.1 percent, while Van Der Mark had 108,980, or 49.9 percent.

No winner has been declared. Mail and provisional ballots are still being tallied, and the California Secretary of State expects to certify results by Dec. 11.

The lead has already flipped more than once. Kluwe was ahead on Election Night before Van Der Mark, a Huntington Beach City Council member, overtook him in later counts, and she was up by just 111 votes earlier this week, Voice of OC reported. The seat opened up when Republican Assemblymember Diane Dixon ran for Orange County supervisor, a race she lost to Katrina Foley.

The district stretches along the Orange County coast and includes Seal Beach, Huntington Beach, Newport Beach, Laguna Beach, Laguna Woods, Laguna Hills and Aliso Viejo, according to Kluwe's campaign. Kluwe raised about $1.87 million to Van Der Mark's roughly $590,000, according to campaign finance data.

Kluwe punted for the Vikings from 2005 through 2012 and became one of the NFL's most vocal supporters of same-sex marriage while playing in Minnesota. After the team cut him in May 2013, he alleged his activism was the reason. An independent investigation commissioned by the team found special teams coordinator Mike Priefer had made a homophobic remark to Kluwe, and Priefer was suspended three games, but investigators concluded the release was tied to Kluwe's on-field performance. Kluwe and the Vikings later reached a settlement in 2014.

After moving to Huntington Beach, Kluwe drew national attention in early 2025 when he was arrested at a city council meeting while protesting a library plaque whose wording formed the acronym "MAGA." He was taken into custody on a charge of disturbing an assembly.