2022 California State Senate election

The 2022 California State Senate election was held on Tuesday, November 8, with the primary election having been held on Thursday, June 7. Voters in the 20 even-numbered districts of the California State Senate elected their representatives. The elections coincided with elections for other offices, including the state assembly.

Democrats gained one seat, increasing their supermajority to 32 out of 40 seats, a four-fifths majority.

Summary by State Senate District
† - Incumbent not seeking re-election

Retiring incumbents

 * 1) 1st: Jim Nielsen (R–Red Bluff): Termed out of office
 * 2) 8th: Richard Pan (D–Sacramento): Termed out of office
 * 3) 10th: Bob Wieckowski (D–Fremont): Termed out of office
 * 4) 12th: Andreas Borgeas (R-Fresno): Retiring
 * 5) 18th: Ben Hueso (D–San Diego): Termed out of office
 * 6) 20th: Robert Hertzberg (D–Van Nuys): Termed out of office
 * 7) 22nd: Connie Leyva (D-Chino): Running for San Bernardino County Supervisor
 * 8) 28th: Sydney Kamlager-Dove (D-Los Angeles): Running for California's 37th congressional district
 * 9) 32nd: Melissa Melendez (R–Lake Elsinore): Termed out of office
 * 10) 38th: Patricia Bates (R–Laguna Niguel): Termed out of office

District 2
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 was two-term Democrat Mike McGuire of Healdsburg, who ran for a third term.

Declared

 * Mike McGuire (Democratic), incumbent state senator
 * Gene Yoon (Republican), lawyer

District 4
The new 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 district had no incumbent.

Declared

 * Marie Alvarado-Gil (Democratic), charter school administrator and former vice president of the Amador County Democratic Central Committee
 * Steven Bailey (Republican), former El Dorado County Superior Court judge and runner-up for Attorney General of California in 2018
 * Jolene Daly (Republican), marriage and family therapist
 * Michael Gordon (Republican), president of the Rescue Union School District board of trustees
 * Jack Griffith (Republican), retired combat engineer
 * Jeff McKay (Republican), Stanislaus Union School Board trustee and former Ceres city councilor
 * George Radanovich (Republican), former U.S. representative for CA's 19th congressional district (1995–2011)
 * Tim Robertson (Democratic), director of North Valley Labor Federation

District 6
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 district had no incumbent.

Declared

 * Michael Huang (Republican), family medicine physician
 * Roger Niello (Republican), former state assemblyman from the 5th district
 * Paula Villescaz (Democratic), director of legislative advocacy for the County Welfare Directors Association and member and former president of the San Juan Unified School District board

District 8
The new 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 in this area was Democrat Richard Pan of Sacramento of the former 6th district, who was term-limited and could not run for re-election.

Declared

 * Angelique Ashby (Democratic), vice mayor of Sacramento
 * Rafa Garcia (Democratic), union representative and attorney
 * Dave Jones (Democratic), former California Insurance Commissioner, former state assemblyman from the 9th district, and former Sacramento city councilor

Withdrawn

 * Matt Burgess (Democratic), California Highway Patrol sergeant
 * Eric Guerra (Democratic), Sacramento city councilor (running for State Assembly)
 * Tecoy Porter (Democratic), community activist (running for State Assembly)

District 10
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 was Democrat Bob Wieckowski of Fremont, who was term-limited and could not run for re-election.

Declared

 * Jim Canova (Democratic), member of the Santa Clara Unified School Board
 * Jamal Khan (Democratic), attorney and candidate for San Jose City Council in 2020
 * Raymond Liu (Democratic), engineer
 * Lily Mei (Democratic), mayor of Fremont
 * Paul Pimentel (Republican), telecommunications company owner
 * Aisha Wahab (Democratic), Hayward city councilor and candidate for CA's 15th congressional district in 2020

Withdrawn

 * Jaime Raul Zepeda (Democratic), community organizer (endorsed Wahab)

District 12
The new 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. It merged the districts of first-term Republican Shannon Grove of Bakersfield of the former 16th district, who was running for re-election here, and first-term Republican Andreas Borgeas of the former 8th district, who decided not to seek reelection.

Declared

 * Shannon Grove (Republican), incumbent state senator from the 16th district
 * Susanne Gundy (Democratic), retired program manager

District 14
The new 14th district is located in the western Central Valley, including Merced County and western Fresno County. The incumbents in this area were first-term Democrat Anna Caballero of Merced and the former 12th district, and first-term Democrat Melissa Hurtado of Sanger and the former 14th district. Both incumbents initially were running for re-election in this district, but Hurtado dropped out to run for the 16th district.

Declared

 * Anna Caballero (Democratic), incumbent state senator from the 12th district
 * Paulina Miranda (Democratic), perennial candidate
 * Amnon Shor (Republican), rabbi

Withdrawn

 * Melissa Hurtado (Democratic), incumbent state senator from the 14th district (running in the 16th district)

District 16
The new 16th district encompasses the southwestern Central Valley, including Kings County, western Tulare County, and northwestern Kern County. The seat originally had no incumbent, but first-term Democrat Melissa Hurtado of Sanger eventually chose to run for re-election here. On December 14, candidate David Shepard filed for a recount, after the race was certified with Senator Hurtado in the lead by a 20-vote margin. The recount concluded on January 17, with Shepard gaining 11 votes, while Hurtado gained 4.

Declared

 * Melissa Hurtado (Democratic), incumbent state senator from the 14th district
 * Bryan Osorio (Democratic), mayor of Delano
 * Nicole Parra (Democratic), former state assemblywoman from the 30th district
 * David Shepard (Republican), grape farmer
 * Gregory Tatum (Republican), pastor

Withdrawn

 * Imelda Ceja (Democratic), nurse
 * Rob Fuentes (Democratic), attorney

District 18
The new 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 in this area was two-term Democrat Ben Hueso of San Diego and the former 40th district, who was term-limited and could not seek re-election.

Declared

 * Alejandro Galicia (Republican), small business owner
 * Steve Padilla (Democratic), Chula Vista city councilor and former mayor of Chula Vista

District 20
The new 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 in this area was two-term Democrat Robert Hertzberg of Van Nuys and the former 18th district, who was term-limited and could not seek re-election.

Declared

 * Ely De La Cruz Ayao (Republican), real estate broker
 * Daniel Hertzberg (Democratic), business travel sales manager and son of incumbent state senator Robert Hertzberg
 * Caroline Menjivar (Democratic), social worker and U.S. Marine Corps veteran
 * Seydi Alejandra Morales (Democratic), attorney

District 22
The new 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 incumbents in this area were first-term Democrat Susan Rubio of Baldwin Park or the former 22nd district, and second-term Democrat Connie Leyva of Chino or the former 20th district. Rubio ran for re-election, while Leyva ran for San Bernardino County Supervisor.

Declared

 * Kimo Mateo (Republican), operations manager
 * Susan Rubio (Democratic), incumbent state senator
 * Vincent Tsai (Republican), Los Angeles County Deputy sheriff

Declined

 * Connie Leyva, incumbent state senator from the 20th district

District 24
The new 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 in this area was two-term Democrat Ben Allen of Santa Monica and the former 26th district, who ran for re-election.

Declared

 * Ben Allen (Democratic), incumbent state senator
 * Kristina Irwin (Republican), realtor (write-in)

District 26
The new 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 in this area was first-term Democrat Maria Elena Durazo of Los Angeles and the former 24th district, who sought re-election.

Declared

 * Maria Elena Durazo (Democratic), incumbent state senator

District 28
The new 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 in this area was first-term Democrat Sydney Kamlager-Dove of Los Angeles and the former 30th district, who left to run for a seat in the United States House of Representatives.

Declared

 * Jamaal Gulledge (Democratic), human resources manager
 * Joe Lusizzo (Republican), restaurant owner
 * Kamilah Victoria Moore (Democratic), attorney and activist
 * Lola Smallwood-Cuevas (Democratic), labor advocate
 * Cheryl Turner (Democratic), civil rights lawyer

District 30
The new 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 in this area was first-term Democrat Bob Archuleta of the former 32nd district, who sought re-election.

Declared

 * Bob Archuleta (Democratic), incumbent state senator from the 32nd district
 * Henry Bouchot (Democratic), Whittier city councilor
 * Martha Camacho Rodriguez (Democratic), teacher
 * Mitch Clemmons (Republican), plumbing business owner

District 32
The new 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 in this area, Republican Melissa Melendez of the former 28th district, was term-limited and could not seek re-election.

Declared

 * Brian Nash (Democratic), analytics consultant
 * Kelly Seyarto (Republican), state assemblyman from the 67th district

District 34
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 was first-term Democrat Tom Umberg of Santa Ana, who sought re-election.

Declared

 * Rhonda Shader (Republican), mayor of Placentia
 * Tom Umberg (Democratic), incumbent state senator

District 36
The new 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 seat had no incumbent.

Declared

 * Kim Carr (Democratic), Huntington Beach city councilor and former mayor of Huntington Beach
 * Janet Nguyen (Republican), state assemblywoman from the 72nd district and former state senator from the 34th district

District 38
The new 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 in this area, Republican Patricia Bates (R–Laguna Niguel), was term-limited and could not seek re-election.

Declared

 * Catherine Blakespear (Democratic), mayor of Encinitas and chair of the San Diego Association of Governments
 * Matt Gunderson (Republican), automobile dealer
 * Joe Kerr (Democratic), retired Orange County fire captain

Withdrawn

 * Priya Bhat-Patel (Democratic), Carlsbad city councilor

Declined

 * Lisa Bartlett (Republican), Orange County supervisor (running for U.S. House)
 * Bill Brough (Republican), former state assemblyman from the 73rd district

District 40
The new 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 in this area was Republican Brian Jones of Santee and the former 38th district, who sought re-election.

Declared

 * Brian Jones (Republican), incumbent state senator
 * Joseph Rocha (Democratic), attorney and U.S. Marine Corps veteran