Republican Josh Hoover surged to first place in California’s 7th Assembly District race with about 54% of the vote as election officials continued counting ballots Wednesday.
Primary voters in Folsom, Rancho Cordova, and Citrus Heights cast ballots Tuesday to determine representation in the state Assembly district. According to the California Secretary of State’s Office, Hoover, the incumbent Republican, leads Democratic challenger Amy Slavensky, who received approximately 44% of the vote.
Path to General Election
The Associated Press projects both candidates will advance to the November general election. The district flipped from Democratic to Republican control when Hoover first won in 2022.
Hoover, a Folsom resident, previously served as chief of staff to former state Assemblyman Kevin Kiley. He hosts the political podcast “Point of Order” and participates in the bipartisan California Problem Solvers Caucus.
Slavensky recently emerged from retirement to take the position of interim deputy superintendent for the San Juan Unified School District. She previously served as superintendent of the Amador County Unified School District before retiring in 2021.
Broader California Election Challenges
California faced criticism this week as multiple closely watched contests unfolded Tuesday evening. State Democratic leaders cautioned that complete ballot tallies could take weeks to finalize.
In the Los Angeles mayoral race, incumbent Democrat Karen Bass failed to secure the 51% threshold needed for an outright victory, triggering a November runoff. Republican Spencer Pratt currently leads with approximately 29.9% of votes counted, while Democrat Nithya Raman trails at 22.8%, according to New York Times data from Thursday morning.
Bass currently holds 35% of the vote with roughly 62% of ballots counted. No Republican has won a Los Angeles mayoral election in over 30 years, though Pratt’s current standing reflects voter dissatisfaction with city conditions after decades of Democratic governance.
Election Law Complaint
Pratt filed a formal complaint Tuesday alleging Bass violated state election laws. “Karen Bass just violated election law here,” Pratt wrote on X, claiming Bass engaged in illegal electioneering near a ballot location.
California law prohibits candidates and campaign workers from electioneering within 100 feet of ballot drop boxes. Pratt’s complaint centers on a campaign video showing Bass appearing to encourage supporters to vote near a ballot box.
“Electioneering within 100 feet of a ballot box is AGAINST THE LAW. Soliciting votes at a ballot box is AGAINST THE LAW,” Pratt stated. He argued the violations demonstrated “a reckless disregard for the rule of law and our democratic process.”
A Bass campaign spokesperson dismissed the complaint and questioned the credibility of Pratt’s campaign.
This story has been updated. CNN’s Reporting contributed to this report.
