Review note: Heath Flora 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
- leginfo.legislature.ca.gov (opens in a new tab)California Legislative Information — SB 762 Assembly Floor vote record (used for Heath Flora's vote)
- yahoo.com (opens in a new tab)Lodi News-Sentinel via Yahoo News — Flora removed as leader of Assembly Republican Caucus (used for Flora's removal and ethics inquiries)
- heathflora.com (opens in a new tab)Heath Flora for Assembly — campaign website (used for Flora's biography and priorities)
- oakdaleleader.com (opens in a new tab)Oakdale Leader — Riverbank forum welcomes candidates from multiple races (used for Matthew Adams's forum quote)
- 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 9
This person holds your district's seat in the California State Assembly (2-year term).
Assemblymember Heath Flora led the June 2 primary with just 30.6%. Democrat Matthew Adams took 25.9%. That is a gap of 4.7 points. It is one of the weakest primary showings by a sitting member on this ballot. The district covers part of San Joaquin and Stanislaus counties.
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.
An incumbent taking under a third of the vote in a crowded primary is the headline fact here, and it cuts against the money: he raised roughly sixty-four times what his nearest challenger did. Weigh whether June's result reflects a divided field or genuine softness in a seat he has held for several terms.
Heath Flora
Heath Flora is the Republican Assemblymember for this district and a farmer from Ripon. He says he has worked to protect California's forests, stand up for small businesses, and teach fellow lawmakers about the challenges farmers face. He serves in the Assembly's Republican minority, where his party does not control which bills pass.
On July 2, 2026, Flora voted for a state bill letting ten cities and two counties raise local sales taxes above the usual cap. A month later his own party removed him as Assembly Republican leader, citing that vote along with two state ethics inquiries into his campaign spending. His office says the spending problems were staff errors and that it is working with regulators to fix them.
Flora says he is running to keep representing the district's farms, small towns and small businesses. His campaign site lists forest management, agriculture and support for small business owners as his priorities. He says it is an honor to represent these communities in the Assembly.
Matthew Adams
Matthew Adams is a teacher and the Democratic candidate for this Assembly seat. He has not held elected office before. He is campaigning as a political outsider against a longtime incumbent.
Adams says he wants to put the community ahead of corporate interests. At a candidate forum in Riverbank in September 2026, he said he is willing and ready to serve with that focus. Beyond that, coverage of his campaign is limited.
Adams promises to serve as an independent voice for the community rather than corporate interests, based on his public comments. No broader published platform of his could be located.
Record in office
Matthew Adams has not served in the California Legislature or U.S. Congress; these records cover only those offices. Heath Flora (Republican) is the sitting Assemblymember for this district and is lead author of 32 bills in the 2025–2026 session, 5 of them signed into law. 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
- Self-funding
Matthew Adams
Primary — $17,658
- Small donors$7384%
- Individuals$4,62026%
- PACs & committees$2,00011%
- Businesses & other orgs$3002%
- Self-funding$10,00057%
November — $45
- Individuals$45100%
Heath Flora
Primary — $1,133,160
- Individuals$16,1001%
- PACs & committees$486,40243%
- Businesses & other orgs$623,40055%
November — $49,800
- PACs & committees$24,50049%
- Businesses & other orgs$25,30051%
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.