No Recommendation
Member of the State Assembly - No Recommendation - 59th
This is a safe Republican incumbent with an Independent challenger. We recommend that you choose the candidate who best aligns to your values in this race.
Progressive endorsements: Assm. Phillip Chen does not have the endorsement of any progressive groups. He has received endorsements from problematic stakeholders, including a 92% NRA rating.
Leon Sit has no campaign website.
Governance and community leadership experience: Assm. Chen has served in this seat since 2016, when he was elected with over 57.73% of the vote. In 2020, he won his reelection against a challenger by 9 points.
Prior to his election to the assembly, Assm. Chen was a member of the Walnut Valley Unified Schoolboard.
Other background: Assm. Chen is from Anaheim.
Sit is an engineering student at UCLA.
The Race
Primary election results: The June 2022 results included Chen (R), 99%; Leon Sit (I), 1%; and David Naranjo (L), 0%. Both Sit and Naranjo were write-in candidates. Chen and Sit will compete in a run-off in the November 8 general election.
Candidate fundraising and pledges: Assm. Chen’s campaign has raised $863,003.53 and is funded by police money, corporate PACs, real estate money, and fossil fuel money.
The District
Counties in district: California’s 59th Assembly District includes parts of Orange and San Bernardino Counties.
Voter registration: 32.5% Democrat, 39.5% Republican, and 22.4% No Party Preference. Republicans have held this district since at least 2016. Since the 2021 redistricting process, AD-59 is 14% more Republican than it was during the 2020 general election cycle.
District demographics: 22.6% Latino, 19.6% Asian, and 2.3% Black.
Recent election results: AD-59 voted for Biden for president in 2020 by 7.46 points and Cox for governor in 2018 by 15.88 points.
The Position
State assemblymembers represent and advocate for the needs of their district constituents at the California State Capitol. They are responsible for creating, debating, and voting on legislation that addresses issues within their district.
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 or Assembly. This term, Democrats currently hold a three-quarters supermajority of 60 seats in the California State Assembly, while Republicans hold 19 seats and one seat is held by an Independent.
Member of the State Assembly - No Recommendation - 59th
This is a safe Republican incumbent with an Independent challenger. We recommend that you choose the candidate who best aligns to your values in this race.
Progressive endorsements: Assm. Phillip Chen does not have the endorsement of any progressive groups. He has received endorsements from problematic stakeholders, including a 92% NRA rating.
Leon Sit has no campaign website.
Governance and community leadership experience: Assm. Chen has served in this seat since 2016, when he was elected with over 57.73% of the vote. In 2020, he won his reelection against a challenger by 9 points.
Prior to his election to the assembly, Assm. Chen was a member of the Walnut Valley Unified Schoolboard.
Other background: Assm. Chen is from Anaheim.
Sit is an engineering student at UCLA.
The Race
Primary election results: The June 2022 results included Chen (R), 99%; Leon Sit (I), 1%; and David Naranjo (L), 0%. Both Sit and Naranjo were write-in candidates. Chen and Sit will compete in a run-off in the November 8 general election.
Candidate fundraising and pledges: Assm. Chen’s campaign has raised $863,003.53 and is funded by police money, corporate PACs, real estate money, and fossil fuel money.
The District
Counties in district: California’s 59th Assembly District includes parts of Orange and San Bernardino Counties.
Voter registration: 32.5% Democrat, 39.5% Republican, and 22.4% No Party Preference. Republicans have held this district since at least 2016. Since the 2021 redistricting process, AD-59 is 14% more Republican than it was during the 2020 general election cycle.
District demographics: 22.6% Latino, 19.6% Asian, and 2.3% Black.
Recent election results: AD-59 voted for Biden for president in 2020 by 7.46 points and Cox for governor in 2018 by 15.88 points.
The Position
State assemblymembers represent and advocate for the needs of their district constituents at the California State Capitol. They are responsible for creating, debating, and voting on legislation that addresses issues within their district.
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 or Assembly. This term, Democrats currently hold a three-quarters supermajority of 60 seats in the California State Assembly, while Republicans hold 19 seats and one seat is held by an Independent.