Your guide to CA Assembly 27th District primary. Who’s running for Fresno-area seat?
Three candidates — two Democrats and one Republican — are running to represent a district that encompasses parts of Fresno, Madera and Merced counties in the California State Assembly.
The seat is currently represented by Esmeralda Soria (D-Fresno), a former Fresno City Councilmember, who will term out of her 27th district seat. Soria serves as chair of the Agriculture Committee, as well as on the Governmental Organization, Banking & Finance and the Economic Development, Growth & Household Impact committees. She is currently a frontrunner in a bid for the 14th State Senate District seat, currently held by Democratic Sen. Anna Caballero.
Candidate filings, candidate websites and campaign finance records show former Merced Mayor Mike Murphy, Fresno Board of Supervisor Brian Pacheco and Livingston City Councilmember Japjeet Singh Uppal are on the June 2 primary ballot to represent the district.
Where is the district?
The 27th district encompasses parts the western side of Fresno and Madera counties, as well as much of Merced County, including the city of Merced. Other cities and communities within the district include: Biola, Cantua Creek, Caruthers, Coalinga, Firebaugh, Fresno, Huron, Kerman, Mendota, Chowchilla, Madera, Madera Acres, Atwater, Delhi, Dos Palos, Le Grand, Livingston, Los Banos and Planada, among others.
Out of more than 500,000 residents in the majority-Latino district, 238,236 are registered to vote as of early April, according to California Secretary of State data. More than half of the district’s registered voters reside in Merced County.
Of the total registered voters in the district, 39.6%, or 94,350, are registered Democrat, and 28.91%, or 68,872, are Republican. About 24% of the district voters are No Party Preference voters.
Who are the candidates?
Murphy, a Republican and a business attorney, is a familiar face in the district, having served as mayor of Merced for two terms from 2016 to 2020. He was first elected to Merced City Council in 2011. Murphy is also a senior fellow with the American Leadership Forum, a nonprofit organization whose mission is to join and strengthen diverse leaders to better serve the public good.
“I am committed to keeping our communities safe, reducing the cost of living for families, protecting our water supply, creating economic opportunities for all, and being held to account as a leader,” he said on his campaign website. He is endorsed by several Merced County supervisors, Atwater, Los Banos, Madera and Merced city councilmembers and Merced County Sheriff Vern Warnke. He’s also endorsed by State Sen. Shannon Grove (R-Bakersfield), several Republican assemblymembers and a handful of labor groups.
Pacheco is a fourth-generation dairy farmer and Fresno County Supervisor. He has represented District 1 since 2015, a district that includes west Fresno County communities including Kerman, Mendota, Biola, Tranquility and others. Before that, he served 12 years on the Kerman Unified school board. He has also served on the board of directors of Community Regional Medical Center, the Fresno-Madera Area Agency on Aging, Human Resources Advisory Board and as a former president of the Fresno County Farm Bureau.
He says he’s running to “bring steady leadership and real Valley experience to Sacramento.” He is endorsed by Soria, Reps. Jim Costa (D-Fresno) and Adam Gray (D-Merced), Assembly Speaker Robert Rivas (D-Hollister), and several other Valley leaders and labor unions.
Singh Uppal is running as a Democrat but wants to “break the political machine” and two-party system. He was first elected to Livingston City Council in 2024 at age 22.
He’s running on a platform that includes: healthcare for all, taking money out of politics, housing reform, universal childcare, investing in water and other infrastructure.
Singh Uppal is endorsed by Livingston Mayor Jose Moran and Stanislaus County Supervisor Channce Condit, but said on his website he does not seek endorsements from “sellout politicians or institutions that do not have the people’s best interest in mind.”
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Who is funding the race?
Murphy leads the race when it comes to fundraising. According to state data, Murphy has more than $650,000 in his war chest since Jan. 1, 2025, which includes $300,000 in loans he made to his campaign.
Among his supporters are the Joseph Gallo Cheese Company LP, PG&E Corporation, and the campaign committees of Assemblymembers Alexandra Macedo (R-Hanford) and Davind Tangipa (R-Clovis).
Pacheco has raised the second-largest haul, with a total of $475,143 from 94 contributions. His top individual financial contributions include $50,500 from the California Democratic Party, and $11,800 each from the small contributor committees of the Association of California School Administrators PAC, California Teachers Association/Association For Better Citizenship, Service Employees International Union SEIU Local 2015 State PAC and Professional Engineers in California Government PECG PAC.
Singh Uppal has raised $18,892 from 23 contributions, including a $5,000 loan he made to his campaign.
