California Legislature · Statewide General Election
Member of the State Assembly, District 79
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
- Andrew Lawson — Republican
- LaShae Sharp-Collins — Democratic · Incumbent
This person holds your district's seat in the California State Assembly (2-year term).
Assemblymember LaShae Sharp-Collins took 64.7% of the June 2 vote and Republican Andrew Lawson took 35.3%; they were the only two candidates on the primary ballot. The district covers southeastern San Diego and neighbouring 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. A first-term member is still building the committee position that determines how much of that agenda actually moves.
June's margin tells you where this district's registration sits. The incumbent produced a solid first-session record on a comparatively modest budget; her opponent is running on about $14,000. The practical question here is what this district is getting from a safe seat.
LaShae Sharp-Collins
Democrat, the sitting Assemblymember for this district, in her first term. She is lead author of 34 bills in the 2025–2026 session, 6 of them signed into law. She raised $550,639, less than most incumbents on this ballot.
Strengths
Six bills signed into law in a first session on a modest budget — a good ratio of output to money raised.
Trade-offs
About half her money came from PACs and committees — the ordinary institutional shape for a first-session member of the majority.
Keep in mind
One session is a short record to judge, however productive.
Andrew Lawson
Republican, and the only other candidate on this district's ballot, with 35.3% of the June vote. He raised $13,663, all of it from individuals and small donors. He has not served in the California Legislature or U.S. Congress.
Strengths
A campaign funded entirely by individuals, and more than a third of the vote on about two percent of the incumbent's money.
Trade-offs
That resource gap is close to total, and he has no record in office to be judged on.
Keep in mind
Coverage surfaced almost no biographical or platform detail about him. That gap is what was available to us on 2026-08-10, not a comment on his candidacy.
Record in office
LaShae Sharp-Collins (Democratic) is the sitting Assemblymember for this district and is lead author of 34 bills in the 2025–2026 session, 6 of them signed into law. Andrew Lawson 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
Sharp-Collins — AB 2652 (2026): Teacher credentialing: world languages: subject matter examinations: language proficiency assessments. Sharp-Collins — AB 847 (2025): Peace officers: confidentiality of records. Sharp-Collins — AB 987 (2025): Vehicles: storage and towing. 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
Andrew Lawson
$13,663 raised
- Small donors$74528%
- Individuals$1,91872%
LaShae Sharp-Collins
$550,639 raised
- Small donors$1,214<1%
- Individuals$60,34111%
- PACs & committees$268,57749%
- Businesses & other orgs$215,40039%
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.