California Legislature · Statewide General Election
Member of the State Assembly, District 76
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
- Darshana Patel — Democratic · Incumbent
- Carrie S. Espinoza Villanueva — Republican
This person holds your district's seat in the California State Assembly (2-year term).
Assemblymember Darshana Patel took 55.8% of the June 2 vote and Republican Carrie S. Espinoza Villanueva took 44.2%; they were the only two candidates on the primary ballot. The district covers inland 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. A first-term member is still building the committee position that determines how much of that agenda actually moves.
The incumbent cleared a majority by under six points while raising more than $1.5 million, $983,866 of it from PACs and committees — roughly 63 cents of every dollar. That is a heavily defended seat with a modest legislative return of 3 bills signed from 30 authored. Weigh those together against a challenger running on about one percent of the money.
Darshana Patel
Democrat, the sitting Assemblymember for this district, in her first term. She is lead author of 30 bills in the 2025–2026 session, 3 of them signed into law. She raised $1,565,884, among the larger Assembly totals on this ballot.
Strengths
A well-resourced first term in a competitive district, with $6,699 in small donations above the median here.
Trade-offs
Three bills signed from 30 authored is a low conversion rate, and about two-thirds of her money came from PACs and committees.
Keep in mind
She took 55.8% against a challenger with under $18,000, which is a narrower hold than most incumbents on this ballot managed.
Carrie S. Espinoza Villanueva
Republican, and the only other candidate on this district's ballot, with 44.2% of the June vote. She raised $17,813, nearly all of it — $16,800 — from PACs and committees. She has not served in the California Legislature or U.S. Congress.
Strengths
She took more than four in ten votes on about one percent of the incumbent's money.
Trade-offs
Almost all of her small total came from committees rather than individuals, and she has no record in office to be judged on.
Keep in mind
Coverage surfaced almost no biographical or platform detail about her. That gap is what was available to us on 2026-08-10, not a comment on her candidacy.
Record in office
Darshana Patel (Democratic) is the sitting Assemblymember for this district and is lead author of 30 bills in the 2025–2026 session, 3 of them signed into law. Carrie S. Espinoza Villanueva 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
Patel — AB 1834 (2026): Subdivisions: tentative and final map: exceptions. Patel — AB 1119 (2025): Teacher credentialing: dual credentialing. Patel — AB 841 (2025): State Fire Marshal: personal protective equipment: battery fires. Committee assignments and the most recently signed-into-law bills each record-holder lead-authored, from the official legislative record.
Financial info
- Small donors
- Individuals
- PACs & committees
- Businesses & other orgs
Darshana Patel
$1,565,884 raised
- Small donors$6,699<1%
- Individuals$102,1807%
- PACs & committees$983,86667%
- Businesses & other orgs$365,55025%
Carrie S. Espinoza Villanueva
$17,813 raised
- Small donors$2591%
- Individuals$7544%
- PACs & committees$16,80094%
1Figures 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
Source review: Very strong (97/100) · 4 cited sources
Official records anchor this contest, with multiple sources checked.
- sos.ca.gov (opens in a new tab)CA Secretary of State — Statement of Vote, June 2, 2026 primary (certified 2026-07-10)
- ballotpedia.org (opens in a new tab)Ballotpedia — June 2026 California primary
- downloads.leginfo.legislature.ca.gov (opens in a new tab)California Legislative Information — public bill data (bulk download)
- sos.ca.gov (opens in a new tab)Cal-Access raw data export — California Secretary of State
Last updated August 10, 2026.