2026 California State Senate election


The 2026 California State Senate election will be held on November 3, 2026, with the primary election to be held on June 2. Voters in the 20 even-numbered districts of the California State Senate will elect their representatives to four-year terms. The elections will coincide with elections for other offices, including for governor and the state assembly.

Outgoing incumbents

Democrats

  1. [California's California's 2nd State Senate district|2nd State Senate district|2nd]: Mike McGuire : Termed out of office and running for U.S. House in 2026.
  2. [California's California's 10th State Senate district|10th State Senate district|10th]: Aisha Wahab : Running for U.S. House in 2026.
  3. [California's California's 14th State Senate district|14th State Senate district|14th]: Anna Caballero : Termed out of office and running for state treasurer.
  4. [California's California's 24th State Senate district|24th State Senate district|24th]: Ben Allen : Termed out of office.
  5. [California's California's 26th State Senate district|26th State Senate district|26th]: María Elena Durazo : running for the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors.
  6. [California's California's 34th State Senate district|34th State Senate district|34th]: Tom Umberg : Termed out of office.

Republicans

  1. [California's California's 12th State Senate district|12th State Senate district|12th]: Shannon Grove : Termed out of office.
  2. [California's California's 40th State Senate district|40th State Senate district|40th]: Brian Jones : Termed out of office.

Summary by district

† - Incumbent not seeking re-election

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 is three-term Democrat Mike McGuire of Healdsburg, who is term-limited and ineligible to run for re-election.

Candidates

Declared

Withdrawn

Declined

District 4

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, a former Democrat who is eligible to run for re-election.

Candidates

Declared

Endorsements

;State senators
;Former state legislators
;County officials
;Municipal officials
  • Stephen Opie, Sonora city councilor

;Statewide officials
;Former statewide officials
;County officials
;Municipal officials

;U.S. representatives

;U.S. representatives
;State assemblymembers
;Former state legislators
;Political parties

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 incumbent is one-term Republican Roger Niello of Fair Oaks, who is eligible to run for re-election.

Candidates

Potential

District 8

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 re-election.

Candidates

Potential

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 is one-term Democrat Aisha Wahab of Hayward, who is eligible to run for re-election, but has chosen to run for California's 14th congressional district instead.

Candidates

Declared

Declined

District 12

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 re-election.

Candidates

Declared

District 14

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 re-election.

Candidates

Declared

Withdrawn

District 16

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 re-election.

Candidates

Declared

Filed paperwork

Potential

District 18

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 eligible for re-election.

Candidates

Declared

District 20

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

Candidates

Declared

District 22

The 22nd district consists of the eastern San Gabriel Valley and the Pomona Valley in eastern 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 re-election.

Candidates

Potential

District 24

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.

Candidates

Declared

District 26

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 re-election but is instead running for the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors.

Candidates

Declared

Declined

District 28

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 re-election.

Candidates

Potential

District 30

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 re-election.

Candidates

Potential

District 32

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 re-election.

Candidates

Potential

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 is second-term Democrat Tom Umberg of Santa Ana, who is term-limited and ineligible to run for re-election.

Candidates

Declared

Declined

District 36

The 36th district encompasses most of coastal Orange County, including Seal Beach, Huntington Beach, Newport Beach, [Emerald Bay, Orange County, California|Orange County, California|Emerald Bay], Laguna Beach, and Dana Point, and the [Little Saigon, Orange, California|Orange County|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 southeastern Los Angeles County. The incumbent is Republican Tony Strickland, who was elected in a special election in 2025.

Candidates

Declared

Potential

District 38

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 re-election.

Candidates

Declared

Potential

District 40

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 re-election.

Candidates

Declared

Withdrawn