Two Republicans, one Democrat lead races for Central Valley State Senate seats
Two Republicans have solid leads in their bids for California State Senate seats to represent districts in the central San Joaquin Valley — including one challenging a Democratic incumbent.
Nathan Magsig (R-Clovis), a Fresno County supervisor, was the clear frontrunner to replace Sen. Shannon Grove (R-Bakersfield), who represents Senate District 12, a Republican-leaning district which includes foothill communities across Fresno, Kern and Tulare counties, as well as the cities of Visalia and Bakersfield. Grove is running to represent District 1 on the State Board of Equalization.
Assemblymember Esmeralda Soria started election night with a narrow lead in the 14th District that straddles parts of Merced, Madera and Fresno counties. The Senate District 14 seat is currently held by Sen. Anna Caballero (D-Merced), who is vying to replace Democrat Fiona Ma as state treasurer.
In the south Valley, Republican Guillermo Gonzalez, a small business owner, led the race to represent the Democratic-leaning Senate District 16, which includes parts of Fresno, Kern, Kings and Tulare counties. The seat is currently held by incumbent Sen. Melissa Hurtado (D-Bakersfield).
The top two candidates will face off in the November general election.
Here’s a breakdown of the results.
State Senate District 12
As of 8:58 p.m. Tuesday, Magsig (R-Clovis) secured 64.6% of the vote, with close to 13,000 votes counted, according to California Secretary of State records.
Libertarian social worker and businessman William Brown Jr. had captured 25.1% of the vote, while Louis Anthony Miramontes, a Republican from Visalia and aviation mechanic, had secured roughly 13.3%.
State Senate District 14
Soria (D-Fresno) pulled down 44.9% of the vote as the initial results came in. Republican Darin DuPont, a Merced City councilman and water attorney, secured 42.6% of the vote. Esmeralda Hurtado, a Democrat and Sanger council member, had acquired 12.5% as of 9:06 p.m. Tuesday.
Senate District 16
As of 9:06 p.m. Tuesday, Gonzalez secured 48.6% of the votes, with 48,822 votes counted, according to California Secretary of State records.
Incumbent Melissa Hurtado, a Bakersfield Democrat, secured 36.7% of the vote as the initial results came in. Democratic challenger Manpreet Kaur, the vice mayor of Bakersfield, had acquired 14.7%
Hurtado is running to keep her seat in the state Senate, where she is focused on issues related to water, agriculture and access to healthcare in rural communities. Before becoming the youngest woman elected to the California State Senate in 2018, she served on Sanger City Council. She’s endorsed by the California Democratic Party, Assemblywoman Jasmeet Bains, and several fellow state senators and labor groups.
Kaur is a city planner and a professor at CSU Bakersfield. She also founded the Kern County chapter of the Jakara Movement. Her priorities include bringing down prices for utilities and groceries, protecting renters and building more homes, free childcare and bringing more jobs to the Valley. Kaur’s endorsements include Courage California and Randy Villegas, a candidate for Congressional District 22.
Gonzalez is running on a platform to improve quality of life for Valley residents, protect natural resources, housing accessibility and defense of faith, family and community, according to his campaign. He’s endorsed by U.S. Reps. David Valadao (R-Hanford) and Vince Fong (R-Bakersfield), Grove, Macedo, Tangipa and others.
