SCV voters Tuesday chose two legislators for the state Assembly, as well as picking a new congressman.

Challenger: Steve Knight 46,610  Challenger: Tony Strickland 40,491

With 100 percent of district precincts reporting early Wednesday morning, state Sen. Steve Knight, R-Antelope Valley, is set to replace Congressman Howard “Buck” McKeon in the 25th Congressional District.

With his opponent having such a large fundraising advantage, Knight said his focus was on making his contacts as impactful as possible, and his strategy essentially entailed running three local campaigns — one in the Santa Clarita Valley, one in the Antelope Valley and one in Simi Valley.

Strickland did not return a call seeking comment for this story.

The support Knight received in Simi Valley, which was considered Strickland’s base, was the key to the election. For that, he credited Elton and Janice Gallegly, as well as several Santa Clarita Valley leaders, including Mayor Laurene Weste.

Elton Gallegly retired from Congress in 2012, after a state’s districting commission put McKeon and Gallegly in the same district. McKeon gave his endorsement to Strickland; however, more local officials in all three valleys threw support behind Knight.

In the California Legislature races, Tom Lackey defeated incumbent Steve Fox, D-Antelope Valley, and Scott Wilk, R-Santa Clarita, was returned to office by a very wide margin.

36th Assembly District

Challenger: Tom Lackey 33,094   Incumbent: Steve Fox 20,724

Republican Tom Lackey, retired CHP officer and Palmdale city councilman, unseated Steve Fox, D-Antelope Valley, in a contentious campaign that left Fox feeling as though his campaign was “clean” while his opponent’s was “dirty”  — a charge the other side also contended.

About three weeks before the vote, a former Fox staffer brought forth a lawsuit claiming the assemblyman improperly used state resources and harassed a former staffer, according to a report from Law360.

“The interesting thing about this election, unlike the last one, is that members of the Assembly got involved on both sides,” Fox said. “The problem, I think, is going to be the fallout — because a number of Dems tried to help me and a number of Republicans donated to the hate mail on the part of my opponent.”

Lackey didn’t return a call seeking comment for the story.

Fox said Wilk was “at the forefront of the other side” for “the dirtiest race I’ve ever seen.”

Parties on both sides considered the race an important one due to the vulnerability and the fact that prior to Tuesday, Democrats held the supermajority in the Assembly — no longer a requirement for budget approval, but helpful in passing a Democratic Party agenda.

Wilk acknowledged helping Lackey, but said he didn’t run the campaign, and chalked up Fox’s porentous warning of repercussions from the party leadership in Sacramento to “wishful thinking.”

“I didn’t run Tom Lackey’s campaign,” Wilk said. “Did I give him a max contribution? Absolutely, as I did in every targeted race. I want more people who think like me in Sacramento.”

It’s the obligation of every candidate to bring out the deficiencies in the opposition in a political race, Wilk said.

“Unfortunately, Mr. Fox has an interesting past, and frankly, an interesting present,” Wilk said. “I feel bad. I like him personally, and we absolutely worked together but, you know, it’s politics.”

Fox won his seat after switching party affiliations and beating Lancaster City Councilman Ron Smith, a Republican, by fewer than 150 votes in 2012.

38th Assembly District

Incumbent: Scott Wilk 48,587 Challenger: Jorge Fuentes 24,424

Assemblyman Scott Wilk, R-Santa Clarita, claimed a big win in his bid for a second term in the state Legislature over Jorge Fuentes, winning 48,587-24,424 for the 38th Assembly District seat.

Wilk was expected by most to win handily. Fuentes made few appearances in the Santa Clarita Valley, lacked a significant campaign budget and failed to campaign aggressively.

Wilk said he doesn’t ever expect to win by such a large margin again, but added he was humbled and grateful for the support from voters.