No Recommendation
Based on our analysis, there is no progressive candidate to recommend for your vote in this race.
About the Position
State Assembly Members form part of the California State Legislature, and work alongside the governor to establish laws and a state budget. They hold the power to pass bills that affect public policy, set state spending levels, raise and lower taxes, and uphold or override the governor’s vetoes. The California State Assembly has 80 districts. Each represents a population of at least 465,000 Californians. Representatives are elected to the Assembly for a two-year term. Every two years, all 80 seats are subject to election. Members elected before 2012 are restricted to three two-year terms (six years) in the Assembly. Those elected in or after 2012 are allowed to serve 12 years total across both the State Senate and Assembly. This term, Democrats currently hold a two-thirds supermajority of 61 seats in the California State Assembly, while Republicans hold 17 seats. One seat is held by an Independent, and one seat is currently vacant.
About the District
California's 32nd Assembly District includes all of Kings County and parts of Kern County. Democrats typically hold this district, and incumbent Salas has held this seat since 2012. The most recent election results show 56.5 percent of AD-32 voted for Clinton for president in 2016, and 54.3 percent voted for Newsom for governor in 2018.
About the Race
In the primary, Democrat incumbent Representative Rudy Salas led Republican challenger Todd Cotta by a margin of 16.2 percent. Salas’s campaign has raised $784,166.20, has not pledged to refuse corporate PAC, fossil fuel, or police money, and is funded by all three groups. Cotta’s campaign has raised much less: $30,359.36. Cotta has also not pledged to refuse corporate PAC, fossil fuel, or police money, and is backed mostly by individuals and local businesses.
About the Candidate
Salas is the incumbent, having served in this seat since 2012. While Salas has supported some progressive measures for farmworkers and the undocumented, he has a poor track record on issues around environmental protection and climate change. He has also opposed criminal-justice reform efforts, including efforts to give judges more say over sentencing and particularly drug-sentencing reform. Based on his track record, Salas is likely to provide no progressive leadership in office.
Rep. Salas’s priorities for AD-32 this year have included public safety and bringing investment to the Central Valley. He currently sits on six committees, and chairs the Joint Legislative Audit Standing Committee, as well as the Select Committee on Early Childhood Development. Rep. Salas has voted to support legislative measures for housing and affirmative action, but he has also voted against bills for gun violence prevention and environmental protection. Assemblymember Salas is endorsed by police groups.
Because the Democratic candidate in this race is considered to be a safe win in this district, we feel comfortable providing no recommendation in this race. Keep reading for progressive recommendations in other key races and on ballot measures where your vote can make a critical difference.
No Progressive Candidate - AD32
Based on our analysis, there is no progressive candidate to recommend for your vote in this race.
About the Position
State Assembly Members form part of the California State Legislature, and work alongside the governor to establish laws and a state budget. They hold the power to pass bills that affect public policy, set state spending levels, raise and lower taxes, and uphold or override the governor’s vetoes. The California State Assembly has 80 districts. Each represents a population of at least 465,000 Californians. Representatives are elected to the Assembly for a two-year term. Every two years, all 80 seats are subject to election. Members elected before 2012 are restricted to three two-year terms (six years) in the Assembly. Those elected in or after 2012 are allowed to serve 12 years total across both the State Senate and Assembly. This term, Democrats currently hold a two-thirds supermajority of 61 seats in the California State Assembly, while Republicans hold 17 seats. One seat is held by an Independent, and one seat is currently vacant.
About the District
California's 32nd Assembly District includes all of Kings County and parts of Kern County. Democrats typically hold this district, and incumbent Salas has held this seat since 2012. The most recent election results show 56.5 percent of AD-32 voted for Clinton for president in 2016, and 54.3 percent voted for Newsom for governor in 2018.
About the Race
In the primary, Democrat incumbent Representative Rudy Salas led Republican challenger Todd Cotta by a margin of 16.2 percent. Salas’s campaign has raised $784,166.20, has not pledged to refuse corporate PAC, fossil fuel, or police money, and is funded by all three groups. Cotta’s campaign has raised much less: $30,359.36. Cotta has also not pledged to refuse corporate PAC, fossil fuel, or police money, and is backed mostly by individuals and local businesses.
About the Candidate
Salas is the incumbent, having served in this seat since 2012. While Salas has supported some progressive measures for farmworkers and the undocumented, he has a poor track record on issues around environmental protection and climate change. He has also opposed criminal-justice reform efforts, including efforts to give judges more say over sentencing and particularly drug-sentencing reform. Based on his track record, Salas is likely to provide no progressive leadership in office.
Rep. Salas’s priorities for AD-32 this year have included public safety and bringing investment to the Central Valley. He currently sits on six committees, and chairs the Joint Legislative Audit Standing Committee, as well as the Select Committee on Early Childhood Development. Rep. Salas has voted to support legislative measures for housing and affirmative action, but he has also voted against bills for gun violence prevention and environmental protection. Assemblymember Salas is endorsed by police groups.
Because the Democratic candidate in this race is considered to be a safe win in this district, we feel comfortable providing no recommendation in this race. Keep reading for progressive recommendations in other key races and on ballot measures where your vote can make a critical difference.
Elect Alfonso Alvarez, Rigoberto Rodriguez, and Carolyn Torres to keep the Santa Ana Unified School District on the right track.
About the Position
Members of the Santa Ana Unified School District Board are elected in an at-large race and go on to serve three-year terms. No term-limit data is apparent on the school board website.
About the District
Santa Ana Unified School District is located in Orange County and includes nine high schools, nine middle schools, and 35 elementary schools, serving a population of roughly 58,000 students.