Draft:2026 California State Senate election

2026 California State Senate election

November 3, 2026 (2026-11-03)
20 seats from even-numbered districts in the California State Senate 21 seats needed for a majority
Leader Mike McGuire (term-limited) Brian Jones (term-limited) Party Democratic Republican Leader since February 5, 2024 December 5, 2022 Leader's seat 2nd–Geyserville 40th–Santee
Incumbent President pro tempore Mike McGuire Democratic

The 2026 California State Senate election will be held on November 3, with the primary election to be held on June 6. Voters in the 20 even-numbered districts of the California State Senate will elect their representatives. The elections will coincide with elections for other offices, including the state assembly.

Outgoing incumbents

Democrats

1. 2nd: Mike McGuire (D–Geyserville): Termed out of office.
2. 14th: Anna Caballero (D–Merced): Termed out of office.
3. 24th: Ben Allen (D–Santa Monica): Termed out of office.
4. 34th: Tom Umberg (D–Santa Ana): Termed out of office.

Republicans

1. 12th: Shannon Grove (R–Bakersfield): Termed out of office.
2. 36th: Janet Nguyen (R–Huntington Beach): Termed out of office.
3. 40th: Brian Jones (R-Santee): Termed out of office.

Summary by district

† - Incumbent not seeking re-election

District	Incumbent	Party		Elected Senator	Party
2nd	Mike McGuire†		Dem
4th	Marie Alvarado-Gil		Rep
6th	Roger Niello		Rep
8th	Angelique Ashby		Dem
10th	Aisha Wahab		Dem
12th	Shannon Grove†		Rep
14th	Anna Caballero†		Dem
16th	Melissa Hurtado		Dem
18th	Steve Padilla		Dem
20th	Caroline Menjivar		Dem
22nd	Susan Rubio		Dem
24th	Ben Allen†		Dem
26th	María Elena Durazo		Dem
28th	Lola Smallwood-Cuevas		Dem
30th	Bob Archuleta		Dem
32nd	Kelly Seyarto		Rep
34th	Tom Umberg†		Dem
36th	Janet Nguyen†		Rep
38th	Catherine Blakespear		Dem
40th	Brian Jones†		Rep

District 2

See also: California's 2nd State Senate district § 2022

The 2nd district encompasses most of the North Coast region, stretching from the Oregon border to the northern Bay Area to include Del Norte, Humboldt, Trinity, Mendocino, Sonoma, and Marin Counties. The incumbent is three-term Democrat Mike McGuire of Healdsburg, who is term-limited and ineligible to run for reelection.

District 4

See also: California's 4th State Senate district

The 4th district is located in the northeastern Central Valley, the central Sierra Nevada, and Death Valley, including Stanislaus, Calaveras, Amador, El Dorado, Placer, Alpine, Tuolumne, Mariposa, Madera, Mono, and Inyo counties. The incumbent is one-term Republican Marie Alvarado-Gil of Jackson, who is eligible to run for reelection.

Candidates

Declared

• Marie Alvarado-Gil, (Republican), incumbent senator
• Jeramy Young (Republican),Livermore chief of police and former mayor of Hughson (2016-2020)

District 6

See also: California's 6th State Senate district

The 6th district is located in northern and eastern suburbs of the Sacramento metropolitan area, including the Sacramento County cities of Rancho Cordova, Carmichael, Fair Oaks, Gold River, Arden-Arcade, Folsom, Orangevale, Citrus Heights, and Antelope, and the western Placer County exurbs of Granite Bay, Roseville, Rocklin, Loomis, Whitney, and Lincoln. The incumbent is one-term Republican Roger Niello of Fair Oaks, who is eligible to run for reelection.

District 8

See also: California's 8th State Senate district

The 8th district is located in the core of the Sacramento metropolitan area, consisting of the state capital of Sacramento and surrounding suburbs, including Rio Linda, McClellan Park, North Highlands, Vineyard, Rosemont, Florin, and Elk Grove. The incumbent is one-term Democrat Angelique Ashby of Sacramento, who is eligible to run for reelection.

District 10

See also: California's 10th State Senate district

The 10th district is located in the East Bay in Alameda County and the northwestern corner of Silicon Valley in Santa Clara County, including Fremont, Hayward, Union City, Newark, Milpitas, Sunnyvale, and Santa Clara. The incumbent is one-term Democrat Aisha Wahab of Hayward, who is eligible to run for reelection.

District 12

See also: California's 12th State Senate district

The 12th district encompasses the southeastern Central Valley and the northwestern corner of the Mojave Desert, including most of Kern County and the eastern portions of Tulare County and Fresno County. The incumbent is two-term Republican Shannon Grove of Bakersfield, who is term-limited and ineligible to run for reelection.

District 14

See also: California's 14th State Senate district

The 14th district is located in the western Central Valley, including Merced County and western Fresno County. The incumbent is two-term Democrat Anna Caballero of Merced, who is term-limited and ineligible for reelection.

Candidates

Declared

• Nelson Esparza (Democratic), Fresno city councilmember (2019-present)

Endorsements

Nelson Esparza (D)

Federal officials

• Jim Costa, U.S. Representative from CA-21 (2005-present)

Municipal officials

• Jerry Dyer, mayor of Fresno (2021-present) (Republican)

District 16

See also: California's 14th State Senate district and California's 16th State Senate district

The 16th district encompasses the southwestern Central Valley, including Kings County, western Tulare County, and northwestern Kern County. The incumbent is two-term Democrat Melissa Hurtado of Bakersfield, who is eligible to run for reelection.

District 18

See also: California's 18th State Senate district

The 18th district stretches along the Mexico–United States border and includes rural Imperial Valley and areas of California along the Colorado River, including Needles, Blythe and Indio, but most of the population is in southern San Diego County, including Imperial Beach, Otay Mesa, Chula Vista, National City, Lincoln Acres, Bonita, the Tijuana River Valley, and the southeast side of San Diego. The incumbent is one-term Democrat Steve Padilla of Chula Vista, who is eligble for reelection.

District 20

See also: California's 20th State Senate district

The 20th district contains most of the San Fernando Valley section of northern Los Angeles, including Burbank, Van Nuys, Reseda, Canoga Park, Tujunga, Sun Valley, Shadow Hills, Lake View Terrace, Arleta, Panorama City, Pacoima, Mission Hills, San Fernando, and Sylmar. The incumbent is one-term Democrat Caroline Menjivar of Panorama City, who is eligible for releection.

District 22

See also: California's 22nd State Senate district

The 22nd district consists of the eastern San Gabriel Valley and the Pomona Valley in Los Angeles County, including El Monte, West Covina, Covina, Duarte, Baldwin Park, Irwindale, Vincent, Azusa, San Dimas, La Verne, and Pomona, as well as Montclair, Chino, and Ontario in the southwestern corner of San Bernardino County. The incumbent is two-term Democrat Susan Rubio, who is eligible to run for reelection.

District 24

See also: California's 24th State Senate district

The 24th district contains the Westside Los Angeles neighborhoods of Venice, West Los Angeles, Pacific Palisades, Brentwood, Bel Air, Century City, Sunset Strip, Laurel Canyon, Hollywood, and Miracle Mile, and the Santa Monica Mountains cities such as Hidden Hills, Calabasas, Topanga, and Malibu, as well as most of the South Bay cities of Los Angeles County, including Rancho Palos Verdes, Rolling Hills, Torrance, Redondo Beach, Manhattan Beach, El Segundo, Marina Del Rey, Santa Monica, Beverly Hills, and West Hollywood. The incumbent is three-term Democrat Ben Allen of Santa Monica, who is term-limited and ineligible to run for re-election.

District 26

See also: California's 26th State Senate district

The 26th district is located in the central and eastern Los Angeles neighborhoods of Los Feliz, East Hollywood, Silver Lake, Echo Park, Cypress Park, Koreatown, Wilshire Center, Westlake, Glassell Park, Eagle Rock, Garvanza, Lincoln Heights, Hermon, Little Tokyo, Chinatown, Boyle Heights, and El Sereno, along with the adjascent communities of City Terrace, East Los Angeles and Vernon. The incumbent is second-term Democrat Maria Elena Durazo of Los Angeles, who is eligible to run for reelection.

District 28

See also: California's 28th State Senate district

The 28th district contains Downtown Los Angeles and most of South Central Los Angeles, including Park La Brea, Pico Union, Mid City, West Adams, Baldwin Hills, Hyde Park, Nevin, Leimert Park, Jefferson Park, Crenshaw, Vermont Square, Adams-Normandie, Florence, Exposition Park, and University Park, as well as suburbs of Culver City, Ladera Heights, and a small part of the Westside Los Angeles neighborhoods, including Palms, Mar Vista and Playa Vista. The incumbent is first-term Democrat Lola Smallwood-Cuevas of Los Angeles, who is eligible to run for reelection.

District 30

See also: California's 30th State Senate district

The 30th district contains the Gateway Cities region of southeastern Los Angeles County, including Downey, Norwalk, Bellflower, La Mirada, Santa Fe Springs, Los Nietos, Montebello, Pico Rivera, Whittier, Hacienda Heights, La Puente, Valinda, Avocado Heights, Industry, Rowland Heights, Walnut, and Diamond Bar, along with Brea in northeastern Orange County. The incumbent is second-term Democrat Bob Archuleta of Pico Rivera, who is eligible to run for reelection.

District 32

See also: California's 32nd State Senate district

The 32nd district consists of the southwestern corner of the Inland Empire, including the Riverside County communities of Temecula, Murrieta, Wildomar, Lake Elsinore, Canyon Lake, Lakeland Village, Alberhill, Menifee, Sage, and Idyllwild, along with Yorba Linda in eastern Orange County, Chino Hills in southwestern San Bernardino County and the rural, northeastern corner of San Diego County. The incumbent is first-term Republican Kelly Seyarto of Murrieta, who is eligible to run for reelection.

District 34

See also: California's 34th State Senate district

The 34th district is based in northern Orange County, including most of Santa Ana, Anaheim, Placentia, Fullerton, Buena Park, La Habra, and the west side of Orange, along with the unincorporated community of South Whittier in Los Angeles County. The incumbent is second-term Democrat Tom Umberg of Santa Ana, who is term-limited and ineligible to run for reelection.

District 36

The 36th district encompasses most of coastal Orange County, including Seal Beach, Huntington Beach, Newport Beach, Emerald Bay, Laguna Beach, and Dana Point, and the Little Saigon area of northwestern Orange County, including Garden Grove, Westminster, Fountain Valley, Midway City, Stanton, Cypress, Rossmoor, and Los Alimitos, along with Artesia, Cerritos, and Hawaiian Gardens in southwestern Los Angeles County. The incumbent is one-term Republican Janet Nguyen of Huntington Beach, who is term-limited and ineligible to run for reelection.

District 38

See also: California's 38th State Senate district

The 38th district encompasses the coastal North County San Diego County communities of La Jolla, Del Mar, Solana Beach, Cardiff, Rancho Santa Fe, Encinitas, Carlsbad, Vista, Oceanside, San Luis Rey, and Camp Pendleton Marine Corps Base, along with the southern edge of Orange County, including San Clemente, San Juan Capistrano, Ladera Ranch, Las Flores, and Rancho Santa Margarita. The incumbent is one-term Democrat Catherine Blakespear of Encinitas, who is eligible to run for reelection.

District 40

See also: California's 40th State Senate district

The 40th district encompasses much of inland San Diego County, including Santee, Poway, Alpine, Pine Valley, Ramona, San Marcos, Escondido, Hidden Meadows, Valley Center, Pauma Valley, and Fallbrook, as well as the northeastern parts of the city of San Diego. The incumbent is second-term Republican Brian Jones of Santee, who is term-limited and ineligible to run for reelection.