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Member of the State Assembly, District 35

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State of California

Member of the State Assembly, District 35

This person holds your district's seat in the California State Assembly (2-year term).

This is an open seat and the closest contest on the entire November ballot. Democrat Andrae Gonzales and Republican Saul Ayon each took 36.7% of the June 2 vote. It was a dead heat. Ana Palacio finished third and is off the ballot. The district covers Bakersfield and surrounding Kern County communities.

The winner holds one of 80 Assembly seats for a two-year term, inside a 12-year lifetime cap on service in Sacramento. An Assemblymember authors bills, sits on the policy committees that decide which bills advance, and argues for the district's share of the annual state budget. Because this seat is open, whoever wins starts without seniority — and which party they belong to determines whether they build it inside the majority or outside it.

Two candidates tied to the decimal in June, and both come to this race from city government rather than from Sacramento — one from a city council, one from a mayor's office. There is no legislative record on either side to compare, so the available evidence is their municipal work and the shape of their campaigns. Of every race on this ballot, this is the one where a single vote is most likely to matter.

Andrae Gonzales

Andrae Gonzales is a Bakersfield native with 16 years in local government. He served on the Bakersfield City School District board from 2011 to 2016, then was elected to the Bakersfield City Council for Ward 2. On the council he has worked on affordable housing, homelessness, schools and downtown revitalization. He has not served in the state Legislature or Congress.

He says running for the Assembly is a natural next step from his council work, calling public service "a calling." He has proposed reforming the state's climate credit program so residents get a bigger credit to offset high summer electric bills.

He promises to keep working on affordable housing and to push the state for a bigger summer climate credit. His priorities include health care, schools, safety and economic growth tied to Kern County's oil and renewable energy industries.

Saul Ayon

Saul Ayon is the mayor of McFarland and a former Kern County sheriff's deputy with 25 years in law enforcement. He now teaches criminal justice at a local high school. He has not served in the state Legislature or Congress.

He says he wants to bring what he calls responsible leadership to Sacramento. As mayor, he points to improved city finances and three new water wells built during his time in office.

He promises to cut regulations he says slow oil production and home building, streamline building permits, and lower city fees for first time homebuyers. His priorities are public safety, water rights, cost of living and economic growth in the Central Valley.

Record in office

This is an open seat: no candidate on the November ballot currently serves in the California Legislature or U.S. Congress, so there is no legislative record to compare here. These records cover only those offices.

Financial info

Saul Ayon

Primary — $267,296

$267,296raised
  • Small donors$531<1%
  • Individuals$103,42538%
  • PACs & committees$91,61634%
  • Businesses & other orgs$61,12523%
  • Self-funding$13,1505%

November — $11,950

$11,950raised
  • Individuals$1501%
  • PACs & committees$5,90049%
  • Businesses & other orgs$5,90049%

Andrae Gonzales

Primary — $766,489

$766,489raised
  • Small donors$8,7011%
  • Individuals$190,45025%
  • PACs & committees$334,90044%
  • Businesses & other orgs$224,55030%

November — $33,170

$33,170raised
  • Individuals$1,1704%
  • PACs & committees$26,10079%
  • Businesses & other orgs$5,90018%

Figures are CA Form 460 filings through June 30, 2026 by committees controlled by each candidate, and can include transfers from a candidate's earlier committees. Semi-annual reports covering January–June 2026 were due July 31, 2026, so some totals lag a period behind. Per the California Secretary of State's Cal-Access raw data export, retrieved 2026-09-21.

Total is itemized (Schedule A) contributions and self-funding loans dated after the June 2, 2026 primary, through June 30, 2026 — small-dollar unitemized (under $100) contributions aren't independently dated in Cal-Access's raw export, so they aren't reflected here and this may undercount true small-donor activity since the primary. This also doesn't include money reported only on 24-hour late-contribution reports (Form 497) that haven't yet appeared in a periodic Form 460 filing. Per the California Secretary of State's Cal-Access raw data export, retrieved 2026-08-30.

Your pick

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