California State Assembly elections, 2018

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2018 California
Assembly elections
Flag of California.png
GeneralNovember 6, 2018
PrimaryJune 5, 2018
Past election results
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2018 elections
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Democrats maintained their supermajority in the California State Assembly in the 2018 elections, winning 60 seats to Republicans' 20. A party needed 54 seats in the Assembly to hold a two-thirds supermajority.

All 80 Assembly seats were up for election in 2018. Heading into the election, Democrats controlled 55 seats and Republicans controlled 25 seats.

Democrats maintained their trifecta in California by holding the state Assembly, the state Senate, and the governor's office.

California state assembly members serve two-year terms, with all seats up for election every two years.

The California State Assembly was one of 87 state legislative chambers holding elections in 2018. There are 99 chambers throughout the country. In 2017, three chambers in Virginia and New Jersey were up for election. In 2016, 86 out of 99 legislative chambers held elections. Prior to 2018, the California State Assembly last held elections in 2016.

For more information about the top-two primary, click here.

Post-election analysis[edit]

See also: State legislative elections, 2018

The Democratic Party attained supermajority status in both chambers of the California State Legislature in the 2018 election. Democrats in the California State Assembly already held a supermajority, but Democrats in the California State Senate did not previously hold the minimum 27 seats needed for a supermajority. In the state Senate, 20 out of 40 seats were up for election. Democrats increased their majority in the California State Senate from 26-14 to 29-11. Two Republican incumbents were defeated in the general election.

The California State Assembly held elections for all 80 seats. The Democratic supermajority in the State Assembly increased from 55-25 to 60-20. Three Republican incumbents were defeated in the general election.

National background[edit]

On November 6, 2018, 87 of the nation's 99 state legislative chambers held regularly scheduled elections for 6,073 of 7,383 total seats, meaning that nearly 82 percent of all state legislative seats were up for election.

  • Entering the 2018 election, Democrats held 42.6 percent, Republicans held 56.8 percent, and independents and other parties held 0.6 percent of the seats up for regular election.
  • Following the 2018 election, Democrats held 47.3 percent, Republicans held 52.3 percent, and independents and other parties held 0.4 percent of the seats up for regular election.
  • A total of 469 incumbents were defeated over the course of the election cycle, with roughly one-third of them defeated in the primary.

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Candidates[edit]

See also: Statistics on state legislative candidates, 2018

General election candidates[edit]

California State Assembly General Election 2018

  • Incumbents are marked with an (i) after their name.
Office Democratic Party Democratic Republican Party Republican Other
District 1

Caleen Sisk

Green check mark transparent.pngBrian Dahle (i)

District 2

Green check mark transparent.pngJim Wood (i)

Matt Heath

District 3

Sonia Aery  Candidate Connection

Green check mark transparent.pngJames Gallagher (i)

District 4

Green check mark transparent.pngCecilia Aguiar-Curry (i)

Brandon Nelson (Libertarian Party)

District 5

Carla Neal  Candidate Connection

Green check mark transparent.pngFrank Bigelow (i)

District 6

Jackie Smith

Green check mark transparent.pngKevin Kiley (i)

District 7

Green check mark transparent.pngKevin McCarty (i)

Scott Schmidt  Candidate Connection

District 8

Green check mark transparent.pngKen Cooley (i)

Melinda Avey

District 9

Green check mark transparent.pngJim Cooper (i)
Harry He  Candidate Connection

District 10

Green check mark transparent.pngMarc Levine (i)
Dan Monte

District 11

Green check mark transparent.pngJim Frazier (i)

Lisa Romero

District 12

Robert Chase

Green check mark transparent.pngHeath Flora (i)

District 13

Green check mark transparent.pngSusan Talamantes Eggman (i)

Antonio Garcia

District 14

Green check mark transparent.pngTim Grayson (i)
Aasim Yahya

District 15

Jovanka Beckles
Green check mark transparent.pngBuffy Wicks  Candidate Connection

District 16

Green check mark transparent.pngRebecca Bauer-Kahan  Candidate Connection

Catharine Baker (i)

District 17

Green check mark transparent.pngDavid Chiu (i)
Alejandro Fernandez

District 18

Green check mark transparent.pngRob Bonta (i)

Stephen Slauson

District 19

Green check mark transparent.pngPhil Ting (i)

Keith Bogdon

District 20

Green check mark transparent.pngBill Quirk (i)

Joseph Grcar

District 21

Green check mark transparent.pngAdam Gray (i)

Justin Quigley (Libertarian Party)

District 22

Green check mark transparent.pngKevin Mullin (i)

Christina Laskowski

District 23

Aileen Rizo

Green check mark transparent.pngJim Patterson (i)

District 24

Green check mark transparent.pngMarc Berman (i)

Alex Glew  Candidate Connection

District 25

Green check mark transparent.pngKansen Chu (i)

Bob Brunton

District 26

Jose Sigala

Green check mark transparent.pngDevon Mathis (i)

District 27

Green check mark transparent.pngAsh Kalra (i)

G. Burt Lancaster

District 28

Green check mark transparent.pngEvan Low (i)

Michael Snyder

District 29

Green check mark transparent.pngMark Stone (i)

Vicki Nohrden  Candidate Connection

District 30

Green check mark transparent.pngRobert Rivas

Neil Kitchens

District 31

Green check mark transparent.pngJoaquin Arambula (i)

Lupe Espinoza

District 32

Green check mark transparent.pngRudy Salas (i)

Justin Mendes

District 33

Socorro Cisneros

Green check mark transparent.pngJay Obernolte (i)

District 34

Nick Nicita

Green check mark transparent.pngVince Fong (i)

District 35

William Ostrander

Green check mark transparent.pngJordan Cunningham (i)

District 36

Steve Fox

Green check mark transparent.pngTom Lackey (i)

District 37

Green check mark transparent.pngS. Monique Limón (i)
David Norrdin

District 38

Green check mark transparent.pngChristy Smith

Dante Acosta (i)

District 39

Green check mark transparent.pngLuz Maria Rivas (i)

Ricardo Benitez

District 40

Green check mark transparent.pngJames Ramos

Henry Nickel

District 41

Green check mark transparent.pngChris Holden (i)

Alan Reynolds (Independent)  Candidate Connection

District 42

DeniAntionette Mazingo

Green check mark transparent.pngChad Mayes (i)

District 43

Green check mark transparent.pngLaura Friedman (i)

District 44

Green check mark transparent.pngJacqui Irwin (i)

Ronda Baldwin-Kennedy

District 45

Green check mark transparent.pngJesse Gabriel (i)

Justin Clark

District 46

Green check mark transparent.pngAdrin Nazarian (i)

Roxanne Beckford Hoge

District 47

Green check mark transparent.pngEloise Gomez Reyes (i)

District 48

Green check mark transparent.pngBlanca Rubio (i)

District 49

Green check mark transparent.pngEdwin Chau (i)

Burton Brink

District 50

Green check mark transparent.pngRichard Bloom (i)

District 51

Green check mark transparent.pngWendy Carrillo (i)

Christopher Stare (Libertarian Party)

District 52

Green check mark transparent.pngFreddie Rodriguez (i)

Toni Holle

District 53

Green check mark transparent.pngMiguel Santiago (i)
Kevin Hee Young Jang

District 54

Green check mark transparent.pngSydney Kamlager (i)
Tepring Michelle Piquado

District 55

Gregg Fritchle

Green check mark transparent.pngPhillip Chen (i)

District 56

Green check mark transparent.pngEduardo Garcia (i)

Jeff Gonzalez

District 57

Green check mark transparent.pngIan Charles Calderon (i)

Jessica Martinez  Candidate Connection

District 58

Green check mark transparent.pngCristina Garcia (i)

Michael Simpfenderfer  Candidate Connection

District 59

Green check mark transparent.pngReginald Jones-Sawyer (i)
Leslie Hagan-Morgan

District 60

Green check mark transparent.pngSabrina Cervantes (i)

Bill Essayli

District 61

Green check mark transparent.pngJose Medina (i)

Ali Mazarei  Candidate Connection

District 62

Green check mark transparent.pngAutumn Burke (i)

Al Hernandez

District 63

Green check mark transparent.pngAnthony Rendon (i)
Maria Estrada

District 64

Green check mark transparent.pngMike Gipson (i)

Theresa Sanford

District 65

Green check mark transparent.pngSharon Quirk-Silva (i)

Alexandria Coronado

District 66

Green check mark transparent.pngAl Muratsuchi (i)

Frank Scotto

District 67

Michelle Singleton

Green check mark transparent.pngMelissa Melendez (i)

District 68

Michelle Duman

Green check mark transparent.pngSteven S. Choi (i)

District 69

Green check mark transparent.pngTom Daly (i)

Autumn Browne (Libertarian Party)

District 70

Green check mark transparent.pngPatrick O'Donnell (i)

Honor Robson (Libertarian Party)

District 71

James Elia

Green check mark transparent.pngRandy Voepel (i)

District 72

Josh Lowenthal

Green check mark transparent.pngTyler Diep

District 73

Scott Rhinehart

Green check mark transparent.pngWilliam Brough (i)

District 74

Green check mark transparent.pngCottie Petrie-Norris

Matthew Harper (i)

District 75

Alan Geraci

Green check mark transparent.pngMarie Waldron (i)

District 76

Green check mark transparent.pngTasha Boerner Horvath
Elizabeth Warren

District 77

Sunday Gover

Green check mark transparent.pngBrian Maienschein (i)

District 78

Green check mark transparent.pngTodd Gloria (i)

Maggie Campbell  Candidate Connection

District 79

Green check mark transparent.pngShirley Weber (i)

John Moore

District 80

Green check mark transparent.pngLorena Gonzalez Fletcher (i)

Lincoln Pickard


Primary election candidates[edit]

The candidate list below is based on a list provided by the California Secretary of State website on March 29, 2018. The filing deadline for the June primary was on March 9, 2018. (I) denotes an incumbent.[1]

2018 California State Assembly primary candidates
District Democratic Party

Democrat

Republican Party

Republican

Other
1 Caleen Sisk: 15,117 Approveda
Peter Van Peborgh: 6,156
Brian Dahle: 42,981 (I) Approveda Jenny O'Connell-Nowain: 2,008 (Ind.)
2 Jim Wood: 42,877 (I) Approveda Matt Heath: 20,748 Approveda
3 Sonia Aery: 22,401 Approveda James Gallagher: 40,810 (I) Approveda
4 Cecilia Aguiar-Curry: 77,882 (I) Approveda No candidate Brandon Nelson (Libertarian write-in): 132 Approveda
5 Carla Neal: 27,111 Approveda Frank Bigelow: 44,553 (I) Approveda
6 Jackie Smith: 26,607 Approveda Kevin Kiley: 42,168 (I) Approveda
7 Kevin McCarty: 23,381 (I) Approveda Scott Schmidt (write-in candidate)
8 Ken Cooley: 21,176 (I) Approveda Melinda Avey: 16,045 Approveda Lawrence Ray Murray: 823 (Ind.)
Janice Marlae Bonser: 1,139 (L)
9 Jim Cooper: 19,824 (I) Approveda
Mario Garcia: 4,571
Harry He: 4,810 Approveda
No candidate
10 Marc Levine: 47,008 (I) Approveda
Dan Monte: 11,942 Approveda
No candidate
11 Jim Frazier: 26,407 (I) Approveda
Diane Stewart: 7,448
Lisa Romero: 21,309 Approveda
12 Robert Chase: 17,517 Approveda Heath Flora: 30,048 (I) Approveda
13 Susan Talamantes Eggman: 16,028 (I) Approveda
Carlos Villapudua: 5,226
Antonio Garcia: 9,616 Approveda
14 Tim Grayson: 40,899 (I) Approveda
Aasim Yahya: 7,608 Approveda
No candidate
15 Judith Appel: 13,387
Ben Bartlett: 3,873
Jovanka Beckles: 18,132 Approveda
Dan Kalb: 17,837
Andy Katz: 6,024
Rochelle Pardue-Okimoto: 9,488
Sergey Vikramsingh Piterman: 655
Owen Poindexter: 777
Cheryl Sudduth: 1,382
Raquella Thaman: 956
Buffy Wicks: 36,551 Approveda
Pranav Jandhyala: 6,750
16 Rebecca Bauer-Kahan: 27,317 Approveda Catharine Baker: 37,988 (I) Approveda
17 David Chiu: 57,614 (I) Approveda
Alejandro Fernandez: 13,097 Approveda
No candidate
18 Rob Bonta: 40,982 (I) Approveda Stephen Slauson: 5,792 Approveda
19 Phil Ting: 50,919 (I) Approveda Keith Bogdon: 10,723 Approveda David Ernst: 2,490 (Ind.)
20 Bill Quirk: 30,162 (I) Approveda Joseph Grcar (write-in candidate) Approveda
21 Adam Gray: 23,558 (I) Approveda No candidate Justin Quigley (Libertarian write-in candidate) Approveda
22 Kevin Mullin: 34,192 (I) Approveda Christina Laskowski: 11,733 Approveda Bridget Duffy: 1,881 (G)
23 Aileen Rizo: 19,676 Approveda Jim Patterson: 37,427 (I) Approveda
24 Marc Berman: 35,197 (I) Approveda Alex Glew: 11,165 Approveda Bob Goodwyn: 1,807 (L)
25 Kansen Chu: 18,593 (I) Approveda
Carmen Montano: 8,332
Bob Brunton: 9,319 Approveda Robert Imhoff: 1,157 (L)
26 Jose Sigala: 10,457 Approveda Devon Mathis: 10,659 (I) Approveda
Warren Gubler: 10,143
Jack Lavers: 4,084
27 Ash Kalra: 29,129 (I) Approveda G. Burt Lancaster (write-in candidate) Approveda
28 Evan Low: 39,869 (I) Approveda Michael Snyder: 18,183 Approveda
29 Mark Stone: 44,243 (I) Approveda Vicki Nohrden: 17,343 Approveda
30 Trina Coffman-Gomez: 2,583
Peter Leroe-Muñoz: 3,555
Bill Lipe: 2,026
Robert Rivas: 14,738 Approveda
Neil Kitchens: 10,498 Approveda
31 Joaquin Arambula: 14,457 (I) Approveda Lupe Espinoza: 9,951 Approveda
32 Rudy Salas: 11,124 (I) Approveda Justin Mendes: 11,439 Approveda
33 Socorro Cisneros: 8,421 Approveda
Scott Markovich: 6,721
Jay Obernolte: 29,233 (I) Approveda
34 Nick Nicita: 13,491 Approveda Vince Fong: 45,657 (I) Approveda
35 William Ostrander: 31,871 Approveda Jordan Cunningham: 40,782 (I) Approveda
36 Steve Fox: 15,220 Approveda Tom Lackey: 24,491 (I) Approveda
37 S. Monique Limón: 42,295 (I) Approveda
Sofia Collin: 3,465
David Norrdin: 5,111 Approveda
No candidate
38 Christy Smith: 27,950 Approveda Dante Acosta: 33,041 (I) Approveda
39 Bonnie Corwin: 853
Patty Lopez: 4,664
Patrea Patrick: 1,217
Luz Maria Rivas: 12,908 Approveda
Antonio Sanchez: 3,125
Ricardo Benitez: 7,860 Approveda
40 Libbern Cook: 5,638
James Ramos: 17,188 Approveda
Henry Gomez Nickel: 19,900 Approveda
41 Chris Holden: 35,235 (I) Approveda
Kenny Rotter: 7,157
No candidate Alan Reynolds: 16,829 Approveda (Ind.)
42 Deniantionette Mazingo: 21,108 Approveda Chad Mayes: 19,541 (I) Approveda
Gary Jeandron: 9,318
Andrew Kotyuk: 7,276
Carol Bouldin: 1,929 (G)
43 Laura Friedman: 36,380 (I) Approveda No candidate
44 Jacqui Irwin: 28,422 (I) Approveda
Robert Zelinsky: 2,202
Ronda Baldwin-Kennedy: 25,252 Approveda
45 Raymond Bishop: 740
Jeff Bornstein: 2,793
Daniel Brin: 1,622
Jesse Gabriel: 19,090 Approveda
Ankur Patel: 2,729
Tricia Robbins Kasson: 3,312
Justin Clark: 15,291 Approveda
46 Adrin Nazarian: 32,735 (I) Approveda Roxanne Beckford Hoge: 9,050 Approveda
47 Eloise Gómez Reyes: 20,072 (I) Approveda No candidate
48 Blanca Rubio: 22,188 (I) Approveda No candidate
49 Edwin Chau: 22,545 (I) Approveda Burton Brink: 10,467 Approveda
50 Richard Bloom: 49,421 (I) Approveda No candidate
51 Wendy Carrillo: 26,790 (I) Approveda No candidate Christopher Stare (Libertarian write-in candidate) Approveda
52 Freddie Rodriguez: 13,578 (I) Approveda
Frank Carlos Guzman: 3,969
Toni Holle: 10,045 Approveda Ben Gibbins: 737 (L)
53 Miguel Santiago: 15,513 (I) Approveda
Rae Elisabeth Henry: 1,431
Kevin Hee Young Jang: 3,551 Approveda
No candidate Michael Lewis: 1,737 (L)
54 Sydney Kamlager: 25,781 (I) Approveda
Steve Dunwoody: 4,007
Breon Dupree Hollie: 809
Lamar Lyons: 3,311
Tepring Michelle Piquado: 7,214 Approveda
Glen Ratcliff: 6,191
55 Melissa Fazli: 8,639
Gregg D. Fritchle: 12,279 Approveda
Phillip Chen: 25,726 (I) Approveda
James Gerbus: 6,151
Scott Lebda: 2,250
56 Eduardo Garcia: 18,482 (I) Approveda Jeff Gonzalez: 8,127 Approveda
Jonathan Reiss: 4,743
57 Ian Charles Calderon: 18,921 (I) Approveda
Blake Sullivan Carter: 992
Justin Joshua Valero: 4,740
Oscar Llamas: 6,503
Jessica Martinez: 9,662 Approveda
58 Cristina Garcia: 9,854 (I) Approveda
Pedro Aceituno: 4,501
Ivan Altamirano: 2,667
Miguel Angel Alvarado: 1,128
John Paul Drayer: 1,160
Friné Medrano: 2,812
Karla Salazar: 3,047
Michael Simpfenderfer: 9,159 Approveda
59 Reginald Jones-Sawyer: 12,408 (I) Approveda
Leslie Hagan-Morgan: 3,788 Approveda
No candidate
60 Sabrina Cervantes: 13,276 (I) Approveda Bill Essayli: 15,224 Approveda
61 Jose Medina: 19,486 (I) Approveda Mohammad-Ali Mazarei (write-in candidate) Approveda
62 Autumn Burke: 34,831 (I) Approveda Al Hernandez: 8,605 Approveda
63 Anthony Rendon: 12,614 (I) Approveda
Maria Estrada: 7,590 Approveda
Adam J. Miller: 6,736
64 Mike Gipson: 19,421 (I) Approveda Theresa Sanford (write-in candidate) Approveda
65 Sharon Quirk-Silva: 20,974 (I) Approveda Alexandria Coronado: 20,208 Approveda
66 Al Muratsuchi: 29,934 (I) Approveda
Caney Arnold: 3,456
Frank Scotto: 27,566 Approveda
67 Michelle Singleton: 14,062 Approveda Melissa Melendez: 29,668 (I) Approveda
68 Michelle Duman: 22,786 Approveda Steven S. Choi: 34,400 (I) Approveda
69 Tom Daly: 16,153 (I) Approveda No candidate Autumn Browne (Libertarian write-in candidate) Approveda
70 Patrick O'Donnell: 24,539 (I) Approveda
Elliot Ruben Gonzales: 5,672
No candidate Rachel Alexandra Bruhnke: 4,197 (G)
Honor "Mimi" Robson: 7,253 Approveda (L)
71 James Elia: 18,465 Approveda Randy Voepel: 26,262 (I) Approveda
Larry Wilske: 14,241
72 Josh Lowenthal: 20,761 Approveda Tyler Diep: 16,683 Approveda
Greg Haskin: 11,512
Richard Laird: 2,945
Long Pham: 4,491
73 Scott Rhinehart: 28,116 Approveda William Brough: 33,318 (I) Approveda
Ed Sachs: 9,718
74 Karina Onofre: 8,117
Cottie Petrie-Norris: 18,634 Approveda
Ryan Ta: 4,546
Matthew Harper: 27,448 (I) Approveda
Katherine Daigle: 7,606
75 Alan Geraci: 19,788 Approveda Marie Waldron: 33,452 (I) Approveda
76 Tasha Boerner Horvath: 17,017 Approveda
Elizabeth Warren: 17,347 Approveda
Philip Graham: 14,271
Thomas Krouse: 5,404
Maureen "Mo" Muir: 5,895
Amanda Rigby: 3,776
Jerome Stocks: 3,330
Brian Wimmer: 551
77 Sunday Gover: 28,908 Approveda Brian Maienschein: 40,682 (I) Approveda
78 Todd Gloria: 46,626 (I) Approveda Maggie Campbell: 20,231 Approveda
79 Shirley Weber: 29,986 (I) Approveda John Moore: 18,703 Approveda
80 Lorena Gonzalez Fletcher: 22,660 (I) Approveda Lincoln Pickard: 10,489 Approveda
Notes • An (I) denotes an incumbent.
• Candidate lists can change frequently throughout an election season. Ballotpedia staff update this list monthly. To suggest changes, click here to email our Elections Project.

Margins of victory[edit]

See also: Margin of victory analysis for the 2018 state legislative elections

A margin of victory (MOV) analysis for the 2018 California State Assembly races is presented in this section. MOV represents the percentage of total votes that separated the winner and the second-place finisher. For example, if the winner of a race received 47 percent of the vote and the second-place finisher received 45 percent of the vote, the MOV is 2 percent.

The table below presents the following figures for each party:

  • Elections won
  • Elections won by less than 10 percentage points
  • Elections won without opposition
  • Average margin of victory[2]
California State Assembly: 2018 Margin of Victory Analysis
Party Elections won Elections won by less than 10% Unopposed elections Average margin of victory[2]
Democratic Party Democratic
60
7
4
37.4%
Republican Party Republican
20
5
0
15.7%
Grey.png Other
0
0
0
N/A
Total
80
12
4
26.5%



The margin of victory in each race is presented below. The list is sorted from the closest MOV to the largest (including unopposed races).

California State Assembly: 2018 Margin of Victory by District
District Winning Party Losing Party Margin of Victory
California State Assembly District 77
Ends.png Republican
Electiondot.png Democratic
0.3%
California State Assembly District 16
Electiondot.png Democratic
Ends.png Republican
2.1%
California State Assembly District 38
Electiondot.png Democratic
Ends.png Republican
2.9%
California State Assembly District 72
Ends.png Republican
Electiondot.png Democratic
3.2%
California State Assembly District 36
Ends.png Republican
Electiondot.png Democratic
4.1%
California State Assembly District 74
Electiondot.png Democratic
Ends.png Republican
5.4%
California State Assembly District 68
Ends.png Republican
Electiondot.png Democratic
6.3%
California State Assembly District 15
Electiondot.png Democratic
Electiondot.png Democratic
7.3%
California State Assembly District 60
Electiondot.png Democratic
Ends.png Republican
8.1%
California State Assembly District 63
Electiondot.png Democratic
Electiondot.png Democratic
8.5%
California State Assembly District 76
Electiondot.png Democratic
Electiondot.png Democratic
9.1%
California State Assembly District 55
Ends.png Republican
Electiondot.png Democratic
9.8%
California State Assembly District 42
Ends.png Republican
Electiondot.png Democratic
10.6%
California State Assembly District 8
Electiondot.png Democratic
Ends.png Republican
11.5%
California State Assembly District 35
Ends.png Republican
Electiondot.png Democratic
11.9%
California State Assembly District 73
Ends.png Republican
Electiondot.png Democratic
12.5%
California State Assembly District 75
Ends.png Republican
Electiondot.png Democratic
12.7%
California State Assembly District 32
Electiondot.png Democratic
Ends.png Republican
13.3%
California State Assembly District 65
Electiondot.png Democratic
Ends.png Republican
14.3%
California State Assembly District 26
Ends.png Republican
Electiondot.png Democratic
15.8%
California State Assembly District 6
Ends.png Republican
Electiondot.png Democratic
16.0%
California State Assembly District 44
Electiondot.png Democratic
Ends.png Republican
17.8%
California State Assembly District 23
Ends.png Republican
Electiondot.png Democratic
18.9%
California State Assembly District 40
Electiondot.png Democratic
Ends.png Republican
19.1%
California State Assembly District 5
Ends.png Republican
Electiondot.png Democratic
19.8%
California State Assembly District 12
Ends.png Republican
Electiondot.png Democratic
20.1%
California State Assembly District 3
Ends.png Republican
Electiondot.png Democratic
20.3%
California State Assembly District 33
Ends.png Republican
Electiondot.png Democratic
20.5%
California State Assembly District 66
Electiondot.png Democratic
Ends.png Republican
20.9%
California State Assembly District 71
Ends.png Republican
Electiondot.png Democratic
21.3%
California State Assembly District 67
Ends.png Republican
Electiondot.png Democratic
21.8%
California State Assembly District 11
Electiondot.png Democratic
Ends.png Republican
22.9%
California State Assembly District 54
Electiondot.png Democratic
Electiondot.png Democratic
24.7%
California State Assembly District 1
Ends.png Republican
Electiondot.png Democratic
26.1%
California State Assembly District 41
Electiondot.png Democratic
Grey.png Independent
28.4%
California State Assembly District 56
Electiondot.png Democratic
Ends.png Republican
29.5%
California State Assembly District 31
Electiondot.png Democratic
Ends.png Republican
29.7%
California State Assembly District 57
Electiondot.png Democratic
Ends.png Republican
29.8%
California State Assembly District 13
Electiondot.png Democratic
Ends.png Republican
30.9%
California State Assembly District 79
Electiondot.png Democratic
Ends.png Republican
33.5%
California State Assembly District 59
Electiondot.png Democratic
Electiondot.png Democratic
33.8%
California State Assembly District 61
Electiondot.png Democratic
Ends.png Republican
35.5%
California State Assembly District 30
Electiondot.png Democratic
Ends.png Republican
36.5%
California State Assembly District 9
Electiondot.png Democratic
Electiondot.png Democratic
36.5%
California State Assembly District 52
Electiondot.png Democratic
Ends.png Republican
37.2%
California State Assembly District 2
Electiondot.png Democratic
Ends.png Republican
38.9%
California State Assembly District 45
Electiondot.png Democratic
Ends.png Republican
40.5%
California State Assembly District 58
Electiondot.png Democratic
Ends.png Republican
40.8%
California State Assembly District 34
Ends.png Republican
Electiondot.png Democratic
41.2%
California State Assembly District 78
Electiondot.png Democratic
Ends.png Republican
42.2%
California State Assembly District 28
Electiondot.png Democratic
Ends.png Republican
42.2%
California State Assembly District 49
Electiondot.png Democratic
Ends.png Republican
42.4%
California State Assembly District 7
Electiondot.png Democratic
Ends.png Republican
42.6%
California State Assembly District 21
Electiondot.png Democratic
Specialsession.png Libertarian
42.7%
California State Assembly District 53
Electiondot.png Democratic
Electiondot.png Democratic
42.8%
California State Assembly District 14
Electiondot.png Democratic
Electiondot.png Democratic
43.2%
California State Assembly District 10
Electiondot.png Democratic
Electiondot.png Democratic
43.5%
California State Assembly District 29
Electiondot.png Democratic
Ends.png Republican
43.7%
California State Assembly District 70
Electiondot.png Democratic
Specialsession.png Libertarian
45.7%
California State Assembly District 25
Electiondot.png Democratic
Ends.png Republican
48.5%
California State Assembly District 80
Electiondot.png Democratic
Ends.png Republican
50.0%
California State Assembly District 69
Electiondot.png Democratic
Specialsession.png Libertarian
50.4%
California State Assembly District 4
Electiondot.png Democratic
Specialsession.png Libertarian
50.4%
California State Assembly District 17
Electiondot.png Democratic
Electiondot.png Democratic
51.1%
California State Assembly District 27
Electiondot.png Democratic
Ends.png Republican
52.6%
California State Assembly District 24
Electiondot.png Democratic
Ends.png Republican
53.2%
California State Assembly District 22
Electiondot.png Democratic
Ends.png Republican
53.5%
California State Assembly District 20
Electiondot.png Democratic
Ends.png Republican
54.8%
California State Assembly District 39
Electiondot.png Democratic
Ends.png Republican
55.3%
California State Assembly District 46
Electiondot.png Democratic
Ends.png Republican
58.5%
California State Assembly District 37
Electiondot.png Democratic
Electiondot.png Democratic
60.9%
California State Assembly District 62
Electiondot.png Democratic
Ends.png Republican
65.8%
California State Assembly District 19
Electiondot.png Democratic
Ends.png Republican
67.5%
California State Assembly District 64
Electiondot.png Democratic
Ends.png Republican
69.4%
California State Assembly District 51
Electiondot.png Democratic
Specialsession.png Libertarian
73.3%
California State Assembly District 18
Electiondot.png Democratic
Ends.png Republican
77.7%
California State Assembly District 43
Electiondot.png Democratic
None
Unopposed
California State Assembly District 47
Electiondot.png Democratic
None
Unopposed
California State Assembly District 48
Electiondot.png Democratic
None
Unopposed
California State Assembly District 50
Electiondot.png Democratic
None
Unopposed


Seats flipped[edit]

See also: State legislative seats that changed party control, 2018

The below map displays each seat in the California State Assembly which changed partisan hands as a result of the 2018 elections, shaded according to the partisan affiliation of the winner in 2018. Hover over a shaded district for more information.

State legislative seats flipped in 2018, California State Assembly
District Incumbent 2018 winner Direction of flip
California State Assembly District 16 Republican Party Catharine Baker Democratic Party Rebecca Bauer-Kahan R to D
California State Assembly District 38 Republican Party Dante Acosta Democratic Party Christy Smith R to D
California State Assembly District 40 Republican Party Marc Steinorth Democratic Party James Ramos R to D
California State Assembly District 74 Republican Party Matthew Harper Democratic Party Cottie Petrie-Norris R to D
California State Assembly District 76 Republican Party Rocky Chávez Democratic Party Tasha Boerner Horvath R to D

Incumbents retiring[edit]

Five incumbents did not run for re-election in 2018.[3] Those incumbents were:

Name Party Current Office
Tony Thurmond Electiondot.png Democratic Assembly District 15
Anna Caballero Electiondot.png Democratic Assembly District 30
Marc Steinorth Ends.png Republican Assembly District 40
Travis Allen Ends.png Republican Assembly District 72
Rocky Chavez Ends.png Republican Assembly District 76

Process to become a candidate[edit]

See also: Ballot access requirements for political candidates in California

DocumentIcon.jpg See statutes: Section 8020-8028 and Section 8100-8107 of the California Elections Code

Before accepting or spending money related to campaigning for office, a candidate for state office must file a candidate intention statement with the California Secretary of State. Note that this requirement does not apply to candidates for congressional office; federal campaign finance requirements apply to candidates for federal office. Candidates may qualify to run for office either by paying a filing fee or by submitting a petition in lieu of the filing fee.[4][5][4]

In addition to the candidate intention statement, a candidate is required to file nomination forms with his or her home county. These forms become available as early as the 113th day prior to the primary election and must be filed no later than the 88th day prior to the primary election.[6][7]

Nomination forms include a statement of economic interests, a declaration of candidacy, and nomination papers. Nomination papers require a certain number of signatures from registered voters. If a candidate qualifies by submitting an in-lieu-of-filing-fee petition, the signatures on that petition will be counted towards the requirement for the nomination paper. Registered voters may sign both the in-lieu-of-filing-fee petition and the nomination paper, unless the candidate is using the signatures on the in-lieu-of-filing-fee petition to count toward the nomination paper requirement. If that is the case, a registered voter can sign only one of the documents.[4][8][9]

The number of signatures required for nomination papers are as follows:[10]

  • 65-100 for candidates seeking the office of United States Senator or a state executive office
  • 40-60 for candidates seeking the office of United States Representative, state senator, or state assembly member

If an individual is running as a write-in candidate, the only nomination forms required are the nomination papers and a statement of write-in candidacy. These forms should be filed in the candidate's home county.[4]

Qualifying by payment of fee[edit]

The filing fee for a candidate seeking a seat in the United States Senate or a state executive office (e.g., governor or treasurer) is 2 percent of the first year's salary for that office. The filing fee for a candidate seeking the office of United States Representative, state senator, or state assembly member is 1 percent of the first year's salary for that office. The fee is paid to the California Secretary of State through the candidate's home county election office.[8]

Qualifying by petition in lieu of filing fee[edit]

Instead of paying a filing fee, a candidate may submit a petition. Signatures may be collected to cover all or any prorated portion of the filing fee.[4]

A candidate seeking the office of state assembly member must file signatures from 1,000 registered voters. Those seeking the office of state senator or United States Representative must file 2,000 signatures, and those seeking statewide office must file 7,000 signatures.[8][11][12]

If the number of registered voters in the district in which the candidate seeks nomination is less than 2,000, a candidate may submit a petition containing four signatures for each dollar of the filing fee, or 20 percent of the total number of registered voters in the district in which he or she seeks nomination, whichever is less.[8]

Completed petitions must be submitted 15 days before the end of the qualifying period to the counties in which the signers reside.[8]

Qualifications[edit]

See also: State legislature candidate requirements by state

According to Article IV of the California Constitution, the candidate must be a United States Citizen, a resident of California for three years, a resident of the legislative district for one year and a registered voter in that district by the time nomination papers are filed.[13]

Salaries and per diem[edit]

See also: Comparison of state legislative salaries
State legislators
SalaryPer diem
$114,877/year$211/day

When sworn in[edit]

See also: When state legislators assume office after a general election

California legislators assume office the first Monday in the December following their election.

California political history[edit]

See also: Partisan composition of state houses and State government trifectas

Party control[edit]

2018[edit]

In the 2018 elections, Democrats increased their majority in the California State Assembly from 55-25 to 60-20.

California State Assembly
Party As of November 6, 2018 After November 7, 2018
     Democratic Party 55 60
     Republican Party 25 20
Total 80 80

2016[edit]

In 2016, Democrats increased their majority in the California State Assembly from 52-28 to 55-25, gaining a two-thirds supermajority in the chamber. In California, a two-thirds vote in each legislative chamber is required to increase taxes, certify proposed constitutional amendments for the ballot, enact laws immediately through an urgency clause, and override a gubernatorial veto.[14]

Democrats also gained a 27-13 majority in the California State Senate in 2016, giving Democrats a two-thirds supermajority in both chambers.

California State Assembly
Party As of November 7, 2016 After November 8, 2016
     Democratic Party 52 55
     Republican Party 28 25
Total 80 80

Trifectas[edit]

A state government trifecta is a term that describes single-party government, when one political party holds the governor's office and has majorities in both chambers of the legislature in a state government. Democrats gained a trifecta in California as a result of the 2010 election when they recaptured the governor's mansion. Democrats had trifectas from 1999 to 2003 and from 2011 to 2017.

California Party Control: 1992-2021
Sixteen years of Democratic trifectas  •  No Republican trifectas
Scroll left and right on the table below to view more years.

Year 92 93 94 95 96 97 98 99 00 01 02 03 04 05 06 07 08 09 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21
Governor R R R R R R R D D D D D R R R R R R R D D D D D D D D D D D
Senate D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D
Assembly D D D S R D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D

Impact of term limits[edit]

See also: Impact of term limits on state representative elections in 2018 and Impact of term limits on state legislative elections in 2018

The California State Assembly has been a term-limited state house since California voters approved Proposition 140 in 1990. Under the terms of Proposition 140, the members of the state Assembly can serve no more than three two-year terms in the state Assembly. It permits a politician to serve in either or both chambers of the legislature for a maximum of 12 years.

All 80 seats in the California State Assembly were up for election in 2018. In the 2018 elections, one representative was ineligible to run because of term limits. The following state representative was term limited in 2018:

Democratic: (1)

Republicans (0):

  • No Republican representatives were term limited in 2018.

Of the 87 state legislative chambers that held elections in 2018, 24 of them—12 senate chambers and 12 house chambers—included incumbents who were unable to run for re-election due to term limits.[15] In the 24 chambers affected by term limits in 2018, 1,463 seats were up for election.[16] The Nevada Senate, Arkansas House, and Arkansas Senate are impacted by term limits, but no incumbents were term-limited in 2018. There are 99 chambers throughout the country.

A total of 271 state legislators—96 state senators and 175 state representatives—were ineligible to run in the 2018 elections because of term limits. This represented 4 percent of the 6,066 total seats up for election in November 2018.[17][18] Republicans had twice as many state legislators term-limited in 2018 than Democrats. A total of 86 Democrats were term-limited, while 177 Republicans were term-limited.

Wave election analysis[edit]

See also: Wave elections (1918-2016)

The term wave election is frequently used to describe an election cycle in which one party makes significant electoral gains. How many seats would Republicans have had to lose for the 2018 midterm election to be considered a wave election?

Ballotpedia examined the results of the 50 election cycles that occurred between 1918 and 2016—spanning from President Woodrow Wilson's (D) second midterm in 1918 to Donald Trump's (R) first presidential election in 2016. We define wave elections as the 20 percent of elections in that period resulting in the greatest seat swings against the president's party.

Applying this definition to state legislative elections, we found that Republicans needed to lose 494 seats for 2018 to qualify as a wave election.

The chart below shows the number of seats the president's party lost in the 10 state legislative waves from 1918 to 2016. Click here to read the full report.

State legislative wave elections
Year President Party Election type State legislative seats change Elections analyzed[19]
1932 Hoover R Presidential -1,022 7,365
1922 Harding R First midterm -907 6,907
1966 Johnson D First midterm[20] -782 7,561
1938 Roosevelt D Second midterm -769 7,179
1958 Eisenhower R Second midterm -702 7,627
2010 Obama D First midterm -702 7,306
1974 Ford R Second midterm[21] -695 7,481
1920 Wilson D Presidential -654 6,835
1930 Hoover R Presidential -640 7,361
1954 Eisenhower R First midterm -494 7,513

Competitiveness[edit]

Every year, Ballotpedia uses official candidate lists from each state to examine the competitiveness of every state legislative race in the country. Nationally, there has been a steady decline in electoral competitiveness since 2010. Most notable is that the number of districts with general election competition has dropped by more than 10 percent.

Results from 2016[edit]

Below is Ballotpedia's 2016 competitiveness analysis. Click here to read the full study »

CA 2016 Overview.png

Historical context[edit]

See also: Competitiveness in State Legislative Elections: 1972-2014

Uncontested elections: In 2014, 32.8 percent of Americans lived in states with an uncontested state senate election. Similarly, 40.4 percent of Americans lived in states with uncontested house elections. Primary elections were uncontested even more frequently, with 61 percent of people living in states with no contested primaries. Uncontested elections often occur in locations that are so politically one-sided that the result of an election would be a foregone conclusion regardless of whether it was contested or not.

F5 Pop. % with uncontested state legislative races.png

Open seats: In most cases, an incumbent will run for re-election, which decreases the number of open seats available. In 2014, 83 percent of the 6,057 seats up for election saw the incumbent running for re-election. The states that impose term limits on their legislatures typically see a higher percentage of open seats in a given year because a portion of incumbents in each election are forced to leave office. Overall, the number of open seats decreased from 2012 to 2014, dropping from 21.2 percent in 2012 to 17.0 percent in 2014.

Incumbent win rates: Ballotpedia's competitiveness analysis of elections between 1972 and 2014 documented the high propensity for incumbents to win re-election in state legislative elections. In fact, since 1972, the win rate for incumbents had not dropped below 90 percent—with the exception of 1974, when 88 percent of incumbents were re-elected to their seats. Perhaps most importantly, the win rate for incumbents generally increased over time. In 2014, 96.5 percent of incumbents were able to retain their seats. Common convention holds that incumbents are able to leverage their office to maintain their seat. However, the high incumbent win rate may actually be a result of incumbents being more likely to hold seats in districts that are considered safe for their party.

Marginal primaries: Often, competitiveness is measured by examining the rate of elections that have been won by amounts that are considered marginal (5 percent or less). During the 2014 election, 90.1 percent of primary and general election races were won by margins higher than 5 percent. Interestingly, it is usually the case that only one of the two races—primary or general—will be competitive at a time. This means that if a district's general election is competitive, typically one or more of the district's primaries were won by more than 5 percent. The reverse is also true: If a district sees a competitive primary, it is unlikely that the general election for that district will be won by less than 5 percent. Primaries often see very low voter turnout in comparison to general elections. In 2014, there were only 27 million voters for state legislative primaries, but approximately 107 million voters for the state legislative general elections.

Pivot Counties[edit]

See also: Pivot Counties by state

There are no Pivot Counties in California. Pivot Counties are counties that voted for Barack Obama (D) in 2008 and 2012 and for Donald Trump (R) in 2016. Altogether, the nation had 206 Pivot Counties, with most being concentrated in upper midwestern and northeastern states.

In the 2016 presidential election, Hillary Clinton (D) won California with 61.7 percent of the vote. Donald Trump (R) received 31.6 percent. In presidential elections between 1900 and 2016, California voted Republican 53.33 percent of the time and Democratic 43.33 percent of the time. In the five presidential elections between 2000 and 2016, California voted Democratic all five times. In 2016, California had 55 electoral votes, which was the most of any state. The 55 electoral votes were 10.2 percent of all 538 available electoral votes and were 20.4 percent of the 270 electoral votes needed to win the election.

Presidential results by legislative district[edit]

The following table details results of the 2012 and 2016 presidential elections by state Assembly districts in California. Click [show] to expand the table. The "Obama," "Romney," "Clinton," and "Trump" columns describe the percent of the vote each presidential candidate received in the district. The "2012 Margin" and "2016 Margin" columns describe the margin of victory between the two presidential candidates in those years. The "Party Control" column notes which party held that seat heading into the 2018 general election. Data on the results of the 2012 and 2016 presidential elections broken down by state legislative districts was compiled by Daily Kos.[22][23]

In 2012, Barack Obama (D) won 58 out of 80 state Assembly districts in California with an average margin of victory of 38.4 points. In 2016, Hillary Clinton (D) won 66 out of 80 state Assembly districts in California with an average margin of victory of 40.3 points. Clinton won 11 districts controlled by Republicans heading into the 2018 elections.
In 2012, Mitt Romney (R) won 22 out of 80 state Assembly districts in California with an average margin of victory of 12.2 points. In 2016, Donald Trump (R) won 14 out of 80 state Assembly districts in California with an average margin of victory of 13 points.


See also[edit]

External links[edit]

BP-Initials-UPDATED.png
Suggest a link

Footnotes[edit]

  1. California Secretary of State, "Statewide Direct Primary Election - June 5, 2018: Official Certified List of Candidates," March 29, 2018
  2. 2.0 2.1 Excludes unopposed elections
  3. Ballotpedia defines an incumbent as retiring if the incumbent did not file for office or filed for office but withdrew, was disqualified, or otherwise left a race in a manner other than losing the primary, primary runoff, or convention. If an incumbent runs as a write-in candidate, Ballotpedia does not consider them to be retiring. If an incumbent runs in the same chamber for a different seat, Ballotpedia does not consider them to be retiring.
  4. 4.0 4.1 4.2 4.3 4.4 Summary of Qualifications and Requirements for the Office of State Senator, Member of the Assembly, "June 3, 2014, Primary Election," accessed October 21, 2013
  5. California Government Code, "Section 85200-85201," accessed October 28, 2013
  6. Ballotpedia, "Phone call with Office of the California Secretary of State," October 9, 2013
  7. California Elections Code, "Section 8020-8028," accessed October 28, 2013
  8. 8.0 8.1 8.2 8.3 8.4 California Elections Code, "Sections 8100-8107," accessed March 3, 2016
  9. California Elections Code, "Section 8061," accessed December 23, 2013
  10. California Elections Code, "Section 8060-8070," accessed December 23, 2013
  11. California Legislative Information, "AB 469," accessed October 17, 2017
  12. Ballot Access News, "California Reduces Number of Signatures Needed on Petitions in Lieu of Filing Fee," October 16, 2017
  13. California Secretary of State, "Qualifications for State Legislature," accessed December 16, 2013
  14. Los Angeles Times, "Democrats clinch a supermajority in both houses of the California Legislature after Josh Newman wins state Senate seat," November 28, 2016
  15. The Nevada Senate, Arkansas House, and Arkansas Senate were up for election in 2018 and have term limits, but no incumbents were term-limited in 2018.
  16. The Nevada Senate, Arkansas House, and Arkansas Senate are impacted by term limits, but no incumbents were term-limited in 2018. In the three chambers, a total of 129 seats were up for election in 2018. No legislators were unable to run in 2018 in those three chamber because of term limits.
  17. Ballotpedia confirmed through phone calls that at least seven California legislators were term-limited in 2018. The number of California legislators term-limited and the overall number of term-limited state legislators had a chance to change if Ballotpedia could confirm that more members were term-limited in 2018.
  18. Some of the 271 term-limited state legislators in 2018 may resign before their term ends. These legislators were still counted in the total number of term-limited legislators in 2018.
  19. The number of state legislative seats available for analysis varied, with as many as 7,795 and as few as 6,835.
  20. Lyndon Johnson's (D) first term began in November 1963 after the death of President John F. Kennedy (D), who was first elected in 1960. Before Johnson had his first midterm in 1966, he was re-elected president in 1964.
  21. Gerald Ford's (R) first term began in August 1974 following the resignation of President Richard Nixon (R), who was first elected in 1968 and was re-elected in 1972. Because Ford only served for two full months before facing the electorate, this election is classified as Nixon's second midterm.
  22. Daily Kos, "Daily Kos Elections' statewide election results by congressional and legislative districts," July 9, 2013
  23. Daily Kos, "Daily Kos Elections' 2016 presidential results for congressional and legislative districts," February 6, 2017


Current members of the California State Assembly
Leadership
Speaker of the House:Anthony Rendon
Majority Leader:Eloise Reyes
Minority Leader:Marie Waldron
Representatives
District 1
District 2
Jim Wood (D)
District 3
District 4
District 5
District 6
District 7
District 8
District 9
District 10
District 11
District 12
District 13
District 14
District 15
District 16
District 17
District 18
Mia Bonta (D)
District 19
Phil Ting (D)
District 20
District 21
Adam Gray (D)
District 22
District 23
District 24
District 25
Alex Lee (D)
District 26
District 27
Ash Kalra (D)
District 28
Evan Low (D)
District 29
District 30
District 31
District 32
District 33
District 34
District 35
District 36
District 37
District 38
District 39
Luz Rivas (D)
District 40
District 41
District 42
District 43
District 44
District 45
District 46
District 47
District 48
District 49
District 50
District 51
District 52
District 53
District 54
District 55
District 56
District 57
District 58
District 59
District 60
District 61
District 62
District 63
District 64
District 65
District 66
District 67
District 68
District 69
Tom Daly (D)
District 70
District 71
District 72
District 73
District 74
District 75
District 76
District 77
District 78
District 79
District 80
Democratic Party (60)
Republican Party (19)
Independent (1)



Licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0 | Original source: https://ballotpedia.org/California_State_Assembly_elections,_2018
Status: cached on November 18 2021 13:57:40
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