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Maria Elena Durazo

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Maria Elena Durazo
Democratic Party
California State Senate District 26
Tenure
2022 - Present
Term ends
2026
Years in position
3
Predecessor: Ben Allen (D)
Prior offices:
California State Senate District 24
Years in office: 2018 - 2022
Predecessor: Kevin de León (D)
Successor: Ben Allen (D)
Compensation
Base salary
$132,703/year
Per diem
$236/day
Elections and appointments
Last election
November 8, 2022
Contact
Official website
Official Facebook
Official X
Official Instagram
Campaign website
Campaign Facebook
Personal LinkedIn

Maria Elena Durazo (Democratic Party) is a member of the California State Senate, representing District 26. She assumed office on December 5, 2022. Her current term ends on December 7, 2026.

Durazo (Democratic Party) ran for re-election to the California State Senate to represent District 26. She will not appear on the ballot for the primary on June 2, 2026.

Durazo was a superdelegate to the 2016 Democratic National Convention from California.[1] Durazo was one of 75 superdelegates from California. Superdelegates to the 2016 Democratic National Convention were not bound by the results of their state’s primary or caucus to support a specific presidential candidate. Ballotpedia was not able to identify whether Durazo supported Hillary Clinton or Bernie Sanders for the 2016 Democratic nomination.[2]

Biography

María Elena Durazo earned a degree from St. Mary's College of California. Durazo's career experience includes working as the executive vice president of UNITE-HERE International and the secretary-treasurer of the Los Angeles County Federation of Labor. She has served as the vice chair of the Democratic National Committee and on the National AFL-CIO Executive Council, the Los Angeles Commission on Airports, the Los Angeles Parks and Recreation Committee, and the California State Coastal Commission.[3]

Committee assignments

2025-2026

Durazo was assigned to the following committees:

2023-2024

Durazo was assigned to the following committees:

2021-2022

Durazo was assigned to the following committees:

2019-2020

Durazo was assigned to the following committees:


The following table lists bills this person sponsored as a legislator, according to BillTrack50 and sorted by action history. Bills are sorted by the date of their last action. The following list may not be comprehensive. To see all bills this legislator sponsored, click on the legislator's name in the title of the table.


Elections

2026

See also: California State Senate elections, 2026

General election

The primary will occur on June 2, 2026. The general election will occur on November 3, 2026. General election candidates will be added here following the primary.

Nonpartisan primary election

Nonpartisan primary for California State Senate District 26

The following candidates are running in the primary for California State Senate District 26 on June 2, 2026.

Candidate
Image of Claudia Agraz
Claudia Agraz (R)
Silhouette Placeholder Image.png
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Paul Bowers (D)
Silhouette Placeholder Image.png
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Juan Camacho (D)
Image of Wendy Carrillo
Wendy Carrillo (D)
Image of Sara Hernandez
Sara Hernandez (D)
Silhouette Placeholder Image.png
Submit photo
Sang Masog (R)
Silhouette Placeholder Image.png
Submit photo
Maebe Pudlo (D)
Silhouette Placeholder Image.png
Submit photo
Sarah Rascón (D)

Incumbents are bolded and underlined.

Candidate Connection = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Withdrawn or disqualified candidates

Endorsements

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2022

See also: California State Senate elections, 2022

General election

General election for California State Senate District 26

Incumbent Maria Elena Durazo defeated Claudia Agraz in the general election for California State Senate District 26 on November 8, 2022.

Candidate
%
Votes
✔
Image of Maria Elena Durazo
Maria Elena Durazo (D)
 
82.9
 
155,727
Image of Claudia Agraz
Claudia Agraz (R) Candidate Connection
 
17.1
 
32,022

Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source

Total votes: 187,749
Candidate Connection = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.

Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

Nonpartisan primary election

Nonpartisan primary for California State Senate District 26

Incumbent Maria Elena Durazo and Claudia Agraz advanced from the primary for California State Senate District 26 on June 7, 2022.

Candidate
%
Votes
✔
Image of Maria Elena Durazo
Maria Elena Durazo (D)
 
99.6
 
108,999
✔
Image of Claudia Agraz
Claudia Agraz (R) (Write-in) Candidate Connection
 
0.4
 
425

Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source

Total votes: 109,424
Candidate Connection = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.

Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

Campaign finance

2018

See also: California State Senate elections, 2018

General election

General election for California State Senate District 24

Maria Elena Durazo defeated Peter Choi in the general election for California State Senate District 24 on November 6, 2018.

Candidate
%
Votes
✔
Image of Maria Elena Durazo
Maria Elena Durazo (D)
 
66.9
 
139,473
Image of Peter Choi
Peter Choi (D)
 
33.1
 
69,160

There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source

Total votes: 208,633
(100.00% precincts reporting)
Candidate Connection = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.

Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

Nonpartisan primary election

Nonpartisan primary for California State Senate District 24

Maria Elena Durazo and Peter Choi advanced from the primary for California State Senate District 24 on June 5, 2018.

Candidate
%
Votes
✔
Image of Maria Elena Durazo
Maria Elena Durazo (D)
 
69.8
 
63,719
✔
Image of Peter Choi
Peter Choi (D)
 
30.2
 
27,566

There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified.

Total votes: 91,285
Candidate Connection = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.

Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

Campaign themes

2026

Ballotpedia survey responses

See also: Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection

Maria Elena Durazo did not complete Ballotpedia's 2026 Candidate Connection survey.

2022

Maria Elena Durazo did not complete Ballotpedia's 2022 Candidate Connection survey.

Campaign finance summary

Note: The finance data shown here comes from the disclosures required of candidates and parties. Depending on the election or state, this may represent only a portion of all the funds spent on their behalf. Satellite spending groups may or may not have expended funds related to the candidate or politician on whose page you are reading this disclaimer. Campaign finance data from elections may be incomplete. For elections to federal offices, complete data can be found at the FEC website. Click here for more on federal campaign finance law and here for more on state campaign finance law.

Maria Elena Durazo campaign contribution history
YearOfficeStatusContributionsExpenditures
2022California State Senate District 26Won general$1,128,819 $452,711
2018California State Senate District 24Won general$1,283,242 N/A**
Grand total$2,412,061 $452,711
Sources: OpenSecrets,  Federal Election Commission ***This product uses the openFEC API but is not endorsed or certified by the Federal Election Commission (FEC).
** Data on expenditures is not available for this election cycle
Note: Totals above reflect only available data.

Democratic National Convention, 2016

What is a superdelegate?

See also: Superdelegates and the 2016 Democratic National Convention

Superdelegates in 2016 were automatic delegates to the Democratic National Convention, meaning that, unlike regular delegates, they were not elected to this position. Also unlike regular delegates, they were not required to pledge their support to any presidential candidate, and they were not bound by the results of their state's presidential primary election or caucus. In 2016, superdelegates included members of the Democratic National Committee, Democratic members of Congress, Democratic governors, and distinguished party leaders, including former presidents and vice presidents. All superdelegates were free to support any presidential candidate of their choosing at the 2016 Democratic National Convention.[4]

California primary results

See also: Presidential election in California, 2016

In California's Democratic primary—which took place on June 7, 2016—475 pledged delegates were at stake, more than any other state in the 2016 Democratic nominating season. California's delegate haul represented almost 20 percent of the 2,383 delegates needed to secure the Democratic nomination and almost 12 percent of the 4,038 pledged delegates up for grabs in 2016. Polling from March and April showed Hillary Clinton with a lead in California over rival Bernie Sanders, ranging from six to 14 points. In 2008, Clinton won the state over Barack Obama 52 to 43 percent. California's pledged delegates were allocated on a proportional basis. California's 73 superdelegates were not required to adhere to the results of the June 7 primary election.

California Democratic Primary, 2016
Candidate Vote % Votes Delegates
Green check mark transparent.pngHillary Clinton 54.2% 2,580,865 269
Bernie Sanders 44.9% 2,135,718 206
Roque De La Fuente 0.2% 7,757 0
Henry Hewes 0.1% 6,997 0
Keith Judd 0.1% 6,771 0
Michael Steinberg 0.2% 10,247 0
Willie Wilson 0.2% 11,260 0
Totals 4,759,615 475
Source: The New York Times and California Secretary of State

Delegate allocation

See also: 2016 presidential nominations: calendar and delegate rules
Democratic Party Logo.png

California had 551 delegates at the 2016 Democratic National Convention. Of this total, 476 were pledged delegates. National party rules stipulated how Democratic delegates in all states were allocated. Pledged delegates were allocated to a candidate in proportion to the votes he or she received in a state's primary or caucus. A candidate was eligible to receive a share of the state's pledged delegates if he or she won at least 15 percent of the votes cast in the primary or caucus. There were three types of pledged Democratic delegates: congressional district delegates, at-large delegates, and party leaders and elected officials (PLEOs). Congressional district delegates were allocated proportionally based on the primary or caucus results in a given district. At-large and PLEO delegates were allocated proportionally based on statewide primary results.[5][6]

Seventy-five party leaders and elected officials served as unpledged delegates. These delegates were not required to adhere to the results of a state's primary or caucus.[5][7]

Scorecards

See also: State legislative scorecards, State legislative scorecards in California

A scorecard evaluates a legislator’s voting record. Its purpose is to inform voters about the legislator’s political positions. Because scorecards have varying purposes and methodologies, each report should be considered on its own merits. For example, an advocacy group’s scorecard may assess a legislator’s voting record on one issue while a state newspaper’s scorecard may evaluate the voting record in its entirety.

Ballotpedia is in the process of developing an encyclopedic list of published scorecards. Some states have a limited number of available scorecards or scorecards produced only by select groups. It is Ballotpedia’s goal to incorporate all available scorecards regardless of ideology or number.

Click here for an overview of legislative scorecards in all 50 states. To contribute to the list of scorecards, email suggestions to editor@ballotpedia.org.

Below you can find the scorecards found for the California State Legislature in 2025.

Below you can find the scorecards found for the California State Legislature in 2024.

Below you can find the scorecards found for the California State Legislature in 2023.

Below you can find the scorecards found for the California State Legislature in 2022.

Below you can find the scorecards found for the California State Legislature in 2021.

Below you can find the scorecards found for the California State Legislature in 2020.

Below you can find the scorecards found for the California State Legislature in 2019.

See also

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External links

Candidate

California State Senate District 26
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    Officeholder

    California State Senate District 26
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    Personal

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    Footnotes

    1. ↑ Ballotpedia's list of superdelegates to the 2016 Democratic National Convention is based on our own research and lists provided by the Democratic National Committee to Vox.com in February 2016 and May 2016. If you think we made an error in identifying superdelegates, please send an email to editor@ballotpedia.org.
    2. ↑ To find out which candidate a superdelegate supported, Ballotpedia sought out public statements from the superdelegate in other media outlets and on social media. If we were unable to find a public statement that clearly articulated which candidate the superdelegate supported at the national convention, we listed that superdelegate as "unknown." If you believe we made an error in identifying which candidate a superdelegate supported, please email us at editor@ballotpedia.org.
    3. ↑ Senator Maria Elena Durazo, "Biography," accessed December 19, 2022
    4. ↑ Congressional Research Service, "The Presidential Nominating Process and the National Party Conventions, 2016: Frequently Asked Questions," December 30, 2015
    5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 Democratic National Committee, "2016 Democratic National Convention Delegate/Alternate Allocation," updated February 19, 2016
    6. ↑ The Green Papers, "2016 Democratic Convention," accessed May 7, 2021
    7. ↑ Democratic National Committee's Office of Party Affairs and Delegate Selection, "Unpledged Delegates -- By State," May 27, 2016

    Political offices
    Preceded by
    Ben Allen (D)     		California State Senate District 26
    2022-Present    		 Succeeded by
    -
    Preceded by
    Kevin de León (D)     		California State Senate District 24
    2018-2022    		 Succeeded by
    Ben Allen (D)


    Current members of the California State Senate
    Leadership
    Minority Leader:Brian Jones
    Senators
    District 1
    District 2
    District 3
    District 4
    District 5
    District 6
    District 7
    District 8
    District 9
    District 10
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    District 12
    District 13
    District 14
    District 15
    District 16
    District 17
    District 18
    District 19
    District 20
    District 21
    District 22
    District 23
    District 24
    Ben Allen (D)
    District 25
    District 26
    District 27
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    District 29
    District 30
    District 31
    District 32
    District 33
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    District 35
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    District 40
    Democratic Party (30)
    Republican Party (10)


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