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California Legislature · Statewide General Election

Member of the State Assembly, District 8

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).

Only one candidate filed for this seat. Assemblymember David Jariustokaeutulelei Tangipa was the sole name on the June 2 primary ballot, took 100% of the vote, and appears unopposed in November — so this contest is settled and your vote here does not change the outcome. The district covers part of Fresno County and the central Sierra foothills.

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 member of the minority caucus depends on cross-party support to move anything, since the majority's leadership controls committee assignments and the floor calendar.

With no opponent, the useful question is not who to choose but what to expect and what to watch. An unopposed return means accountability for this seat over the next two years will come from constituents and the press rather than from the ballot. The record below is what he did with the last term.

David Jariustokaeutulelei Tangipa

Republican, the sitting Assemblymember for this district and unopposed for re-election. He is lead author of 34 bills in the 2025–2026 session, 2 of them signed into law — from the minority caucus, where bills need majority-party support to advance. He raised $759,434 despite having no opponent.

Strengths

Two bills signed into law from the minority side of the aisle, and a substantial individual donor base relative to his overall total.

Trade-offs

Two of 34 authored bills enacted is a low conversion rate even allowing for minority-caucus constraints.

Keep in mind

More than $750,000 raised for an uncontested race is worth noticing; money raised without an opponent is generally available for other purposes, including transfers to other candidates.

Record in office

David Jariustokaeutulelei Tangipa (Republican) is the sitting Assemblymember for this district and is lead author of 34 bills in the 2025–2026 session, 2 of them signed into law. Per the California Legislature's public bill data (leginfo bulk download), retrieved 2026-08-10.

Record details

Tangipa — AB 1479 (2025): County road commissioner: Counties of Madera and Tehama. Tangipa — AB 377 (2025): High-Speed Rail Authority: business plan: Merced to Bakersfield segment. Committee assignments and the most recently signed-into-law bills each record-holder lead-authored, from the official legislative record.

Financial info

David Jariustokaeutulelei Tangipa

$759,434raised
  • Small donors$2,877<1%
  • Individuals$194,14826%
  • PACs & committees$208,30028%
  • Businesses & other orgs$347,65046%

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

David Jariustokaeutulelei Tangipa (Republican)100.0% · 103,817 votes
Source review: Very strong (97/100) · 4 cited sources

Official records anchor this contest, with multiple sources checked.

Last updated August 10, 2026.