Review note: Darshana Patel for Assembly may have more bias because it is an advocacy voter guide compared to other formal government and nonprofit journalism sources.
- 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
- a76.asmdc.org (opens in a new tab)Assemblymember Darshana Patel — official Assembly biography page (career, education, committee role)
- a76.asmdc.org (opens in a new tab)Assemblymember Darshana Patel — official Assembly homepage (news of AB 2555 and AB 2468 sent to the Governor)
- darshanapatel.org (opens in a new tab)Darshana Patel for Assembly — campaign site (biography and platform)
- sandiegouniontribune.com (opens in a new tab)San Diego Union-Tribune — Opinion: I put my community first, now I represent it at the state Capitol, by Darshana Patel (her own words on why she ran)
- 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 September 24, 2026.
State of California
Member of the State Assembly, District 76
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. Republican Carrie S. Espinoza Villanueva took 44.2%, the only other candidate 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 7 bills signed from 30 authored. Weigh those together against a challenger running on about one percent of the money.
Darshana Patel
Darshana Patel is the Democratic Assemblymember for California's 76th District. It covers Escondido, San Marcos and parts of San Diego. Before the Legislature she spent nearly a decade as a biotech research scientist. She worked on cancer therapies. She served on the Poway school board. She says she helped fix its finances and improve student outcomes. She later led the county's school boards group. She now chairs the Assembly Education Committee.
She says the rising cost of housing and health care is pushing middle class families out. She says she heard that again and again while knocking on doors. In her first year in office she wrote a bill on English learners. It updates how California decides they are fluent. Lawmakers sent that bill to the governor this year. She also wrote a bill to help students with disabilities.
She promises to keep improving access to state services. That includes help with the DMV, Medi-Cal and unemployment. She says she wants ideas to come from parents, teachers and local business owners first. Her stated priorities are education, health care and public safety. She also wants to help the state's innovation economy grow.
Carrie S. Espinoza Villanueva
Carrie S. Espinoza Villanueva is a Republican running for California's 76th Assembly District. It covers inland north San Diego County. Espinoza Villanueva's ballot designation lists their work in college administration support. They have not served in the California Legislature or in Congress.
No campaign website or news coverage of their platform could be located. What is known comes from their ballot designation and the primary results.
No documented statement of their priorities or promises could be located.
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, 7 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 2026-09-21.
Financial info
- Small donors
- Individuals
- PACs & committees
- Businesses & other orgs
Darshana Patel
Primary — $1,565,884
- Small donors$6,699<1%
- Individuals$102,1807%
- PACs & committees$983,86667%
- Businesses & other orgs$365,55025%
November — $61,256
- Individuals$9,25615%
- PACs & committees$21,30035%
- Businesses & other orgs$30,70050%
Carrie S. Espinoza Villanueva
Primary — $17,813
- Small donors$2591%
- Individuals$7544%
- PACs & committees$16,80094%
November — $6,204
- Individuals$3045%
- PACs & committees$5,90095%
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 2026-09-21.
2Total 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.