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Notable California races, 2016
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Presidential • U.S. Senate • U.S. House • State Senate • State Assembly • Local judges • State ballot measures • Local ballot measures • School boards • Municipal • Recalls • Candidate ballot access |
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| Notable California Races | |
|---|---|
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| Primary | June 7, 2016 |
| General | November 8, 2016 |
| 2016 Notable Races | |
|---|---|
| Choose a state below: | |
Ballotpedia identified 13 notable California state legislative races in 2016.
Overview
State legislature remained Democratic
All 80 seats in California's state Assembly and 20 of California's state Senate seats were up for election in 2016.
Heading into the general election, California was of one of seven Democratic state government trifectas. The legislature remained Democratic after November 2016 as Republicans would have had to gain 13 House seats to gain a majority. Republicans would have had to gain seven Senate seats to gain a majority in that chamber.
| Partisan breakdown of the California Legislature | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Republicans | Democrats | |
| California House | 28 seats | 52 seats | |
| California Senate | 14 seats | 26 seats | |
What makes a race notable?
Ballotpedia uses these criteria to identify notable races:
- Incumbents facing more conservative or liberal challengers
- Rematches between candidates
- Races that receive considerable media attention
- Races that could significantly affect the state's partisan balance
- Competitive races involving party leaders
- Open, competitive races with Republican and Democratic primaries
- Races that capture money and attention from outside groups, including key endorsements
Know of an interesting race we should include here? Email us!
Notable primary elections
State Senate District 3
- Three Democrats and one Republican competed for the district's open seat.
Incumbent state Sen. Lois Wolk (D) was ineligible for re-election due to term limits. Three Democrats and one Republican competed for placement on the November ballot: state Rep. Bill Dodd (D), former state Rep. Mariko Yamada (D), Gabe Griess (D), and Greg Coppes (R). Dodd and Yamada faced off in the 2016 general election.
According to the Sacramento Bee, the two "most well-known and well-funded candidates" in the race were Dodd and Yamada. Business groups such as Californians for Jobs and a Strong Economy, which received funds from companies like Chevron, spent over $220,000 on behalf of Dodd. EdVoice, a group that advocates for school choice, spent money in support of Dodd.[1]
The candidates received the following key endorsements:[2][3][4]
| Key endorsements | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Bill Dodd | Mariko Yamada | Greg Coppes | Gabe Griess[5] |
| U.S. Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D) | California Federation of Teachers | California Republican Party | |
| Lt. Gov. Gavin Newsom (D) | California League of Conservation Voters | Solano County Republicans | |
| California Attorney General Kamala Harris (D) | National Union of Healthcare Workers | Napa County Republican Party | |
| U.S. Rep. Mike Thompson (D) | U.S Rep. John Garamendi (D) | Sonoma County Republican Party | |
| U.S. Rep. Jared Huffman (D) | U.S. Rep. Lynn Woolsey (D) | Republican Party of Contra Costa County | |
| U.S. Rep. Mark DeSaulnier (D) | California Treasurer John Chiang (D) | ||
| California Labor Federation | California Nurses Association | ||
| AFSCME California | Service Employees International Union (SEIU) | ||
| AFSCME Council 57 | AFSCME Council 57 | ||
| California Faculty Association | Equality California | ||
| California Small Business Association | California Women's List | ||
State Senate District 9
- Three Democrats and one Republican competed for the district's open seat.
Incumbent state Sen. Loni Hancock (D) declined to run for re-election. Three Democrats and one Republican competed for placement on the November ballot: Former state Rep. Nancy Skinner (D), former state Rep. Sandre Swanson (D), Katherine Welch (D), and Rich Kinney (R). Skinner and Swanson faced off in the 2016 general election.
According to the Independent Voter Project, "The endorsements of each candidate and their experience have the power to influence the results." The Democratic candidates all received key endorsements from prominent state and congressional Democrats. The sole Republican candidate received the endorsement of the state's Republican Party:[6][7][8][9]
| Key endorsements | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Nancy Skinner | Sandre Swanson | Rich Kinney | Katherine Welch |
| Former U.S. Labor Secretary Robert Reich (D) | U.S. Rep. Barbara Lee (D) | California Republican Party | Delaine Eastin, former State Superintendent of Public Instruction |
| California Secretary of State Alex Padilla (D) | Outgoing state Sen. Loni Hancock (D) | Bay Area Regional Republican Caucus | |
| California Assembly Speaker Anthony Rendon (D) | California Senate President Pro Tem Kevin de Leon (D) | Contra Costa County Republican Central Committee | |
| Tom Torlakson, California State Superintendent of Public Instruction | California Teachers Association | Alameda County Republican Central Committee | |
| California AFL-CIO | California Nurses Assocation | ||
| Service Employees International Union (SEIU) - California | California School Employees Association | ||
| California Federation of Teachers | Service Employees International Union (SEIU) - California | ||
| Sierra Club | AFSCME District Council 57 | ||
| Equality California | Union of American Physicians and Dentists | ||
| California Women’s List | |||
| AFSCME District Council 57 | |||
State Senate District 27
- Five Democrats and one Republican competed for the district's open seat.
Incumbent state Sen. Fran Pavley (D) declined to run for re-election. Five Democrats and one Republican competed for placement on the November ballot: Shawn Bayliss (D), Janice Kamenir-Reznik (D), David Pollock (D), Henry Stern (D), George Christopher Thomas (D), and Steve Fazio (R). Stern and Fazio faced off in the 2016 general election.
The Democratic candidates all received multiple key endorsements from congressional Democrats, Democrats in the California Legislature, and prominent labor groups. The sole Republican candidate received the endorsements of business groups and influential Republicans, including U.S. House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R):[10][11][12][13][14]
| Key endorsements | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Janice Kamenir-Reznik | Henry Stern | Steve Fazio | Shawn Bayliss | David Pollock | George Christopher Thomas[15] |
| U.S. Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D) | Outgoing state Sen. Fran Pavley (D) | National Federation of Independent Business | U.S. Rep. Brad Sherman (D) | state Rep. Jacqui Irwin (D) | |
| California Secretary of State Alex Padilla (D) | U.S. Rep. Ted Lieu (D) | U.S. House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R) | U.S. Rep. Juan Vargas (D) | Jack O’Connell, former California Superintendent for Public Instruction | |
| California State Controller Betty Yee (D) | state Sen. Loni Hancock (D) | California Republican Party | U.S. Rep. Mike Honda (D) | Delaine Eastin, former State Superintendent for Public Instruction | |
| state Sen. Robert Hertzberg (D) | state Sen. Lois Wolk (D) | Los Angeles County Republican Party | state Rep. Mike Gatto (D) | ||
| state Sen. Hannah-Beth Jackson (D) | state Rep. Jacqui Irwin (D) | California Small Business Association | Ironworkers Local 416 | ||
| state Sen. Holly Mitchell (D) | Service Employees International Union (SEIU) California State Council | state Rep. Scott Wilk (R) | Ironworkers Local 433 | ||
| EMILY’s List | Los Angeles County Federation of Labor, AFL-CIO | state Sen. Bob Huff (R) | |||
| California Nurses Association | California Nurses Association | state Sen. Jean Fuller (R) | |||
| California Women’s List | Sierra Club of California | state Rep. David Hadley (R) | |||
State Assembly District 4
- Four Democrats and one Republican competed for the district's open seat.
Incumbent state Rep. Bill Dodd (D) declined to run for re-election and ran for the state Senate. Four Democrats and one Republican competed for placement on the November ballot: Cecilia Aguiar-Curry (D), Mark Kropp (D), Don Saylor (D), Dan Wolk (D), and Charlie Schaupp (R). Aguiar-Curry and Schaupp faced off in the 2016 general election.
According to the Sacramento Bee, "The contest has come to center on what type of Democrat will win" as Democrats outnumber Republicans in the district 2-1. Business, education reform, and energy groups had spent $1.9 million as of May 30, 2016, to support Aguiar-Curry, while her opponents received support from more traditionally liberal organizations, such as labor groups and teachers' unions. Wolk in particular received endorsements from the state's Democratic Party, Lt. Gov. Gavin Newsom (D), and teachers' groups such as the California Federation of Teachers.[16]
The candidates received the following key endorsements:[17][18][19][20]
| Key endorsements | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dan Wolk | Cecilia Aguiar-Curry | Don Saylor | Charlie Schaupp | Mark Kropp[21] |
| Lt. Gov. Gavin Newsom (D) | California Small Business Association | (SEIU) California | California Republican Party | |
| California Secretary of State Alex Padilla (D) | Latino Legislative Caucus | California Federation of Labor | ||
| state Senate President pro Tempore Kevin De Leon (D) | state Rep. Lorena Gonzalez (D) | AFSCME Council 57 | ||
| California Democratic Party | state Rep. Luis Alejo (D) | California State Controller Betty Yee (D) | ||
| California Faculty Association (CFA) | state Rep. Eduardo Garcia (D) | California State Insurance Commissioner Dave Jones | ||
| California Federation of Teachers (CFT) | state Rep. Roger Hernandez (D) | California State Treasurer John Chiang (D) | ||
| California School Employees Association (CSEA) | Delaine Eastin, former California Superintendent of Public Instruction | state Rep. Ken Cooley (D) | ||
| California Teachers Association (CTA) | ||||
| AFSCME Council 57 | ||||
State Assembly District 6
- Eight Republicans, two Democrats, and an independent competed for the district's open seat.
Incumbent state Rep. Beth Gaines (R) was ineligible to run for re-election due to term limits. Eight Republicans and two Democrats competed for placement on the November ballot: Bill Halldin (R), Kevin Hanley (R), Gabriel L. Hydrick (R), Suzanne Jones (R), Kevin Kiley (R), Ron Mikulaco (R), Cristi Nelson (R), Andy Pugno (R), Brian Caples (D), John Edward Z'Berg (D), and Bogdan Ambrozewicz (Ind.). Caples and Kiley faced off in the 2016 general election.
Though District 6 is a strongly Republican district, some Republicans noted that the large field of Republican candidates could split the vote among them, allowing the two Democrats to advance to the November election under California's top-two primary system. "We could see, for the first time, a Democrat elected in a solidly Republican district. ... When it's a wide-open field like this, anything can happen,” said Dave Gilliard, a campaign consultant for GOP candidate Kevin Kiley.[22]
State Assembly District 39
- District 39 featured a candidate rematch between the current Democratic incumbent and the former Democratic incumbent.
Incumbent state Rep. Patty Lopez (D) ran for re-election. She faced former state Rep. Raul Bocanegra (D), Mina Creswell (D), Joel Fajardo (D), Joanne Fernandez (D), and Kevin J. Suscavage (D) in the primary contest. No Republicans filed to run. Lopez and Bocanegra faced off in the 2016 general election.
In 2014, then-incumbent Bocanegra and Lopez garnered the top two spots in the primary contest. Lopez narrowly defeated Bocanegra in November 2014 by just 466 votes out of 45,034 votes cast.
State Assembly District 47
- Two Democrats, each with key endorsements, competed for the District 47 seat.
Incumbent state Rep. Cheryl Brown (D) ran for re-election. She faced Eloise Reyes (D) and Aissa Chanel Sanchez (R) for placement on the November ballot. Brown and Reyes faced off in the 2016 general election.
According to the Los Angeles Times, "The race for Assembly District 47 already is one of the most hotly contested this campaign season."[23]
Brown received support from party leadership and teachers' unions while Reyes received support from other labor organizations and environmental groups. The candidates received the following key endorsements:[24][25]
| Key endorsements | ||
|---|---|---|
| Cheryl Brown | Eloise Reyes | Aissa Chanel Sanchez[26] |
| California Attorney General Kamala Harris (D) | state Sen. Connie M. Leyva (D) | |
| California Secretary of State Alex Padilla (D) | state Sen. Tony Mendoza (D) | |
| California Assembly Speaker Anthony Rendon (D) | U.S. Rep. Xavier Becerra (D) | |
| California Democratic Party | Service Employees International Union (SEIU) | |
| California Federation of Teachers | International Association of Sheet Metal, Air, Rail and Transportation Workers (SMART) | |
| California School Employees Association | Teamsters Joint Council 42 | |
| California Faculty Association | Sierra Club | |
| Union of American Physicians and Dentists | California League of Conservation Voters | |
State Assembly District 55
- District 55 featured a candidate rematch between three 2014 candidates.
Incumbent state Rep. Ling-Ling Chang (R) declined to run for re-election. Four Republicans and one Democrat competed for placement on the November ballot: Phillip Chen (R), Ray Marquez (R), Mike Spence (R), Steve Tye (R), and Gregg D. Fritchle (D). Fritchle and Chen faced off in the 2016 general election.
Chen, Tye, and Fritchle competed again for the District 55 seat. They ran against Chang, the outgoing incumbent, in the 2014 primary contest. Chang and Fritchle received the top-two votes in that primary (29 percent and 27 percent, respectively). Chen received 23 percent of the vote and Tye received 22 percent of the vote; Chang defeated Fritchle in the 2014 general election by a margin of 64 percent to 36 percent.
Notable general elections
State Assembly District 16
- District 16 featured a candidate rematch between the current GOP incumbent and the former Democratic incumbent.
Incumbent state Rep. Catharine Baker (R) ran for re-election. She faced Cheryl Cook-Kallio (D) in the general election as they were the only two candidates in the District 16 race.
According to the Associated Press, "Assembly Speaker Anthony Rendon has singled out the district as his No. 1 target for expanding the Democratic majority." About 40 percent of the district's voters were Democrats, around one-third were Republicans, and around one-quarter were voters with no partisan affiliation. Baker narrowly defeated her Democratic challenger in 2012 by a margin of 52 percent to 48 percent out of 138,604 votes cast.[27]
State Assembly District 36
- District 36 featured a candidate rematch between the current GOP incumbent and the former Democratic incumbent.
Incumbent state Rep. Tom Lackey (R) ran for re-election. Lackey and Steve Fox (D) defeated Ollie M. McCaulley (D), and Darren Parker (D) for placement on the November ballot.
Lackey and Fox, the former incumbent, received the top two spots in the 2014 primary contest; Lackey received 41 percent of the vote while Fox received 33 percent. In the 2014 general election, Lackey defeated Fox by a margin of 60 percent to 40 percent. According to the Associated Press, 40 percent of the district's voters were Democrats, 36 percent were Republicans, and 19 percent had no partisan affiliation.[27]
State Assembly District 38
- A Democrat and a Republican competed for this open seat.
Incumbent state Rep. Scott Wilk (R) did not run for re-election. Christy Smith (D) and Dante Acosta (R) faced off on the November ballot.
State Assembly District 65
- District 65 featured a candidate rematch between the current GOP incumbent and the former Democratic incumbent.
Incumbent state Rep. Young Kim (R) ran for re-election. She faced former state Rep. Sharon Quirk-Silva (D) in the general election as they were the only two candidates in the District 65 race.
In 2014, Kim defeated Quirk-Silva, the former incumbent, by a margin of 55 percent to 45 percent. According to the Associated Press, "The district, where Democrats slightly outnumber Republicans, presents one of the best pickup opportunities for Democrats seeking to regain a supermajority in the Assembly."[27]
State Assembly District 66
- District 66 featured a candidate rematch between the current GOP incumbent and the former Democratic incumbent.
Incumbent state Rep. David Hadley (R) ran for re-election. Hadley and former state Rep. Al Muratsuchi (D) defeated Mike Madrigal (D) for placement on the November ballot.
In 2014, Hadley narrowly defeated Muratsuchi, the former incumbent, by just 706 votes out of 108,096 votes cast. According to the Associated Press, 40 percent of the district's voters were Democrats, about one-third were Republicans, and about one-quarter were voters with no partisan identification.[27]
Freshman legislators
The following is a list of challengers who won election on November 8.
- Al Muratsuchi (Democratic), .California State Assembly, District 66
- Anna Caballero (Democratic), .California State Assembly, District 30
- Anthony Portantino, Jr. (Democratic), .California State Senate, District 25
- Ash Kalra (Democratic), .California State Assembly, District 27
- Bill Dodd (Democratic), .California State Senate, District 3
- Blanca Rubio (Democratic), .California State Assembly, District 48
- Cecilia Aguiar-Curry (Democratic), .California State Assembly, District 4
- Dante Acosta (Republican), .California State Assembly, District 38
- Eloise Gómez Reyes (Democratic), .California State Assembly, District 47
- Heath Flora (Republican), .California State Assembly, District 12
- Henry Stern (Democratic), .California State Senate, District 27
- Jordan Cunningham (Republican), .California State Assembly, District 35
- Kevin Kiley (Republican), .California State Assembly, District 6
- Laura Friedman (Democratic), .California State Assembly, District 43
- Marc Berman (Democratic), .California State Assembly, District 24
- Nancy Skinner (California) (Democratic), .California State Senate, District 9
- Phillip Chen (Republican), .California State Assembly, District 55
- Randy Voepel (Republican), .California State Assembly, District 71
- Raul Bocanegra (Democratic), .California State Assembly, District 39
- S. Monique Limón (Democratic), .California State Assembly, District 37
- Sabrina Cervantes (Democratic), .California State Assembly, District 60
- Scott Wiener (Democratic), .California State Senate, District 11
- Scott Wilk (Republican), .California State Senate, District 21
- Sharon Quirk-Silva (Democratic), .California State Assembly, District 65
- Steven Bradford (Democratic), .California State Senate, District 35
- Steven S. Choi (Republican), .California State Assembly, District 68
- Tim Grayson (Democratic), .California State Assembly, District 14
- Todd Gloria (Democratic), .California State Assembly, District 78
- Toni Atkins (California) (Democratic), .California State Senate District 39
- Vince Fong (Republican), .California State Assembly, District 34
Defeated incumbents
The following is a list of incumbents who were defeated on November 8.
- Cheryl Brown (California) (Democratic), .California State Assembly, District 47
- David Hadley (Republican), .California State Assembly, District 66
- Eric Linder (Republican), .California State Assembly, District 60
- Patty Lopez (Democratic), .California State Assembly, District 39
- Young Kim (California) (Republican), .U.S. House, California, District 39
See also
External links
Footnotes
- ↑ Sacramento Bee, "Are Bill Dodd and Mariko Yamada headed for a November faceoff?" May 28, 2016
- ↑ Bill Dodd 2016 campaign website, "Endorsements," accessed June 1, 2016
- ↑ Mariko Yamada 2016 campaign website, "Endorsements," accessed June 1, 2016
- ↑ Greg Coppes 2016 campaign website, "Endorsements," accessed June 1, 2016
- ↑ As of June 3, 2016, the candidate's campaign website had not listed key endorsements.
- ↑ Sandre Swanson 2016 campaign website, "Endorsements for Sandré Swanson for Senate District 9," accessed June 1, 2016
- ↑ Katherine Welch 2016 campaign website, "Endorsements," accessed June 1, 2016
- ↑ Nancy Skinner 2016 campaign website, "Endorsements," accessed June 1, 2016
- ↑ Independent Voter Project, "In a Race with 3 Democratic Candidates, Who Decides the Outcome?" May 19, 2016
- ↑ Shawn Bayliss 2016 campaign website, "Endorsements," accessed June 1, 2016
- ↑ Janice Kamenir-Reznik 2016 campaign website, "Endorsements," accessed June 1, 2016
- ↑ David Pollock 2016 campaign website, "Endorsements," accessed June 1, 2016
- ↑ Henry Stern 2016 campaign website, "Supporters," accessed June 1, 2016
- ↑ Information submitted through Ballotpedia's biographical submission form on May 25, 2016
- ↑ As of June 1, 2016, the candidate's campaign website had not listed key endorsements.
- ↑ Sacramento Bee, "Outside money leaves Assembly candidate feeling ‘out of control,'" May 30, 2016
- ↑ California Republican Party, "Party Endorsements 2016," accessed June 1, 2016
- ↑ Cecilia Aguiar-Curry 2016 campaign website, "We Support Cecilia Aguiar-Curry for State Assembly!" accessed June 1, 2016
- ↑ Don Saylor 2016 campaign website, "Endorsements," accessed June 1, 2016
- ↑ Dan Wolk 2016 campaign website, "Endorsements," accessed June 1, 2016
- ↑ As of June 1, 2016, the candidate's campaign website had not listed key endorsements.
- ↑ Sacramento Bee, "Will Democrat squeak past 8 Republicans in Placer Assembly race?" May 15, 2016
- ↑ Los Angeles Times, "Election high jinks? Why these interest groups are backing a Republican and a Democrat in the same Assembly race," May 26, 2016
- ↑ Eloise Reyes 2016 campaign website, "Endorsements," accessed June 1, 2016
- ↑ Cheryl Brown 2016 campaign website, "Endorsements," accessed June 1, 2016
- ↑ As of June 1, 2016, the candidate's campaign website had not listed key endorsements.
- ↑ 27.0 27.1 27.2 27.3 Associated Press, "A look at California’s most interesting legislative races," May 8, 2016
