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California Legislature · Statewide General Election

Member of the State Assembly, District 74

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 Laurie Davies took 52.3% of the June 2 vote and Democrat Sergio Farias took 47.7% — a 4.6-point gap and a bare majority for a sitting member, making this one of the closest legislative contests on the November ballot. The district covers part of south Orange County and coastal north San Diego 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.

Both parties are treating this seat as winnable: the incumbent's campaign carries $143,000 in direct party funding, one of eight campaigns on this ballot drawing party money at that scale, and she still took only 52.3% in her own primary. Weigh a strong minority-caucus record against a challenger who came within five points on about an eighth of the money.

Laurie Davies

Republican, the sitting Assemblymember for this district. She is lead author of 35 bills in the 2025–2026 session, 7 of them signed into law — among the strongest Republican records on this ballot, achieved from the minority caucus where bills need majority-party support. She raised $1,029,196, including $143,000 from party committees.

Strengths

Seven bills signed into law from the minority side of the aisle, which requires cross-party agreement majority members do not need.

Trade-offs

She cleared a majority by just over two points in her own primary, a narrow hold in a seat she already represents.

Keep in mind

Party money at this scale means the state party has a direct stake in holding this seat.

Sergio Farias

Democrat, who took 47.7% of the June vote, within five points of a sitting member. His campaign reports $125,485 in contributions, including $64,200 from PACs and committees and $45,369 from individuals. He has not served in the California Legislature or U.S. Congress.

Strengths

He came within 4.6 points of an incumbent on roughly an eighth of her money, one of the strongest challenger showings on this ballot.

Trade-offs

He goes into the general heavily outspent and without party money at her scale, and has no record in office to be judged on.

Keep in mind

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

Record in office

Laurie Davies (Republican) is the sitting Assemblymember for this district and is lead author of 35 bills in the 2025–2026 session, 7 of them signed into law. Sergio Farias 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

Davies — AB 587 (2025): Student Aid Commission: membership. Davies — AB 383 (2025): Firearms: prohibition: minors. Davies — AB 1005 (2025): Drowning prevention: public schools: informational materials. Committee assignments and the most recently signed-into-law bills each record-holder lead-authored, from the official legislative record.

Financial info

Laurie Davies

$1,029,196raised
  • Small donors$1,424<1%
  • Individuals$79,3638%
  • PACs & committees$439,60043%
  • Party$143,00014%
  • Businesses & other orgs$362,10035%

Sergio Farias

$125,485raised
  • Small donors$3,1822%
  • Individuals$45,36924%
  • PACs & committees$64,20033%
  • Businesses & other orgs$12,5007%
  • Self-funding$66,50435%

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 2026-08-22.

June 2 primary — how they advanced

Laurie Davies (Republican)52.3% · 72,782 votes
Sergio Farias (Democratic)47.7% · 66,403 votes
Source review: Very strong (97/100) · 4 cited sources

Official records anchor this contest, with multiple sources checked.

Last updated August 10, 2026.