The 67th Assembly District race has so far drawn more campaign cash than any other open Assembly contest in California.
One of the most expensive open legislative races in California so far this 2026 election cycle is right in northern Orange County.
Click Here to Subscribe to the California Political Review
The 2026 race for the 67th Assembly District seat has drawn in $391,400 raised among the three candidates who have filed to run for the open seat as of Monday, May 12, more than any other open Assembly contest in the state.
The race has become so expensive, in part, because of how the political dynamic of the district has changed. For more than a decade, Democrats largely unified behind Assemblymember Sharon Quirk-Silva, D-Fullerton, who either ran unopposed among her party or didn’t face any serious challengers.
But with Quirk-Silva prevented from running again in 2026 due to term limits, the race has become a free-for-all, especially on the Democratic side, where candidates are expected to spend heavily to stand out in what’s likely to become a crowded primary.
In the district — which includes communities in Buena Park, Fullerton and La Palma and dips into Los Angeles County to include Artesia and Cerritos — about 42% of voters are registered Democrats, while 28% are Republicans. Roughly a quarter have no party preference.
“When there is an open seat … you have an opportunity to bring out money from political parties and interest groups,” said Fullerton College political scientist Jodi Balma.
The declared candidates so far all have deep local roots, having served as elected officials in their communities for years. Balma said that’s also a factor that’s helping them draw early financial support.
“This is going to be a wild, expensive primary on the Democratic side,” she said.
Artesia City Councilmember Ali Sajjad Taj, who is endorsed by Quirk-Silva, has raised more than $263,000 from 207 contributions so far, the most of any Assembly candidate in the county at this point.
Most of that funding has come from individual donors and local companies, including a $5,900 donation from the CEO of Premium Health Solution in Anaheim and $5,500 from Cornerstone Artesia Development in Upland.
Union leader and former Orange County Democratic Party chair Ada Briceño has raised $116,300, while Cerritos Councilmember Mark Pulido, the most recent Democratic candidate to enter the race, has raised $11,800, including a $5,900 contribution from a local business owner.
These early numbers fit a familiar pattern in open-seat races, said Rob Pyers, the research director for California Target Book, a subscription-based publication that analyzes and tracks political races in California.
“You generally see more activity earlier on when a legislator is about to be termed out, as people scramble to secure endorsements and raise enough money by the first mid-year report to demonstrate they’re viable candidates,” Pyers said. “Make a big enough splash early enough, and you can scare off other candidates and avoid a bruising primary later on.”
Taj has been raising money for the 67th District seat since September, getting out to a $212,000 head start before anyone else had even filed, Pyers noted.
But early money raised by Briceño right after she announced may also prove crucial, especially as outside groups enter the fray.
California’s hotel and lodging association launched a PAC against Briceño in March, which Balma said is pretty early for a down-ballot race.
The PAC hasn’t reported any fundraising or spending yet. Pete Hillan, a spokesperson for the California Hotel & Lodging Association, said the PAC hasn’t made a final call on how involved it’ll be in the race to oppose Briceño. For now, he said, they’re just laying the groundwork.
The association “absolutely sees her as a threat,” Balma said, pointing to her strong pro-union stance and her firsthand knowledge of labor issues from working in hotels.
In fact, much of Briceño’s early backing has come from unions, including five-figure contributions from the UNITE HERE Local 2 PAC and AFSCME Local 3299.
Balma said the early opposition suggests labor’s influence in Orange County has grown enough to provoke a preemptive strike.
Speak Your Mind