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California Legislature · Statewide General Election

Member of the State Assembly, District 70

Draft candidate list — early preview until the state’s official list publishes on August 27, 2026.

This is one contest. Enter your address to see every race on your November ballot, and keep track of your picks.

On the ballot

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

Assemblymember Tri Ta took 53.8% of the June 2 vote and Democrat Paula Swift took 46.2%, a 7.6-point gap in a district where the sitting member cleared a majority only narrowly. The district covers Westminster, Garden Grove and part of central Orange County.

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. Which party wins here determines whether this district's representative works inside the majority or the minority.

The incumbent raised nearly $1.6 million — the largest Assembly total on this ballot outside the Speaker's — including $465,375 from individuals, and still took only 53.8% against a challenger running on about six percent of that. Weigh a minority-caucus record and a very large war chest against a challenger the district evidently found credible.

Tri Ta

Republican, the sitting Assemblymember for this district. He is lead author of 35 bills in the 2025–2026 session, 4 of them signed into law — from the minority caucus, where bills need majority-party support to advance. He raised $1,597,859, the largest Assembly total on this ballot apart from the Speaker's.

Strengths

Four bills signed from the minority side of the aisle, and a substantial individual donor base rather than a purely institutional one.

Trade-offs

He took only 53.8% despite outspending his opponent roughly sixteen to one.

Keep in mind

A sitting member barely clearing a majority against a poorly funded challenger is a signal about the district worth noticing.

Paula Swift

Democrat, who took 46.2% of the June vote. She raised $95,905, including $80,100 from PACs and committees and $12,982 from individuals. She has not served in the California Legislature or U.S. Congress.

Strengths

She held a well-funded incumbent under 54% while raising about six cents for every dollar he did.

Trade-offs

That resource gap is close to total going into the general, and she has no record in office to be judged on.

Keep in mind

Coverage surfaced little detail about her platform; what we can document is how close she came and how her campaign is funded, not what she would do in office.

Record in office

Tri Ta (Republican) is the sitting Assemblymember for this district and is lead author of 35 bills in the 2025–2026 session, 4 of them signed into law. Paula Swift has not served in the California Legislature or U.S. Congress; these records cover only those offices. Per the California Legislature's public bill data (leginfo bulk download), retrieved 2026-08-10.

Record details

Ta — AB 1587 (2026): Prescription drug refills: prescriber notifications. Ta — AB 88 (2025): Student financial aid: Cal Grants: Middle Class Scholarship Program: eligibility: dependents of members of the armed services stationed outside of California. Ta — AB 951 (2025): Health care coverage: behavioral diagnoses. Committee assignments and the most recently signed-into-law bills each record-holder lead-authored, from the official legislative record.

Financial info

Paula Swift

$95,905raised
  • Small donors$1,6222%
  • Individuals$12,98214%
  • PACs & committees$80,10084%
  • Self-funding$1,2001%

Tri Ta

$1,597,859raised
  • Small donors$1,609<1%
  • Individuals$465,37529%
  • PACs & committees$525,90033%
  • Businesses & other orgs$595,67937%

Figures are CA Form 460 filings through July 27, 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 2026-08-22.

June 2 primary — how they advanced

Tri Ta (Republican)53.8% · 52,758 votes
Paula Swift (Democratic)46.2% · 45,348 votes
Source review: Very strong (97/100) · 4 cited sources

Official records anchor this contest, with multiple sources checked.

Last updated August 10, 2026.