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California Legislature · Statewide General Election

State Senator, District 34

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 Senate (4-year term).

This is an open seat. Assemblymember Avelino Valencia took 65.2% of the June 2 vote and Republican Rhonda Shader took 34.8%. Valencia currently represents Assembly District 68 and is seeking this Senate seat rather than re-election. The district covers central Orange County.

The winner holds one of 40 State Senate seats for a four-year term, inside a 12-year lifetime cap on service in Sacramento. Senate districts are twice the size of Assembly districts, terms run twice as long, and the Senate confirms the Governor's appointments. Because this seat is open, whoever wins starts without Senate seniority.

One candidate arrives with a legislative record made in the Assembly — 10 bills signed into law from 29 authored, one of the strongest conversion rates in the Legislature. The other has not held state office. Weigh that record on its merits, in a different chamber, and note the funding behind it.

Avelino Valencia

Democrat, currently the Assemblymember for District 68, seeking this open Senate seat. He is lead author of 29 bills in the 2025–2026 session, 10 of them signed into law — one of the strongest conversion rates in the Legislature. He took 65.2% of the June vote.

Strengths

Ten bills signed into law from 29 authored is a top-tier conversion rate, higher than most members with larger bill counts.

Trade-offs

About half his money came from PACs and committees, which is typical for a sitting member here and still a set of standing relationships.

Keep in mind

His record was made in the Assembly, not the Senate; the chambers differ in size, term and remit.

Rhonda Shader

Republican, who advanced with 34.8% of the June vote. She raised $126,706, including $82,163 from individuals and $4,962 from small donors, with $27,800 from PACs and committees. She has not served in the California Legislature or U.S. Congress.

Strengths

A campaign funded mainly by individuals rather than committees, so she would arrive with fewer institutional obligations.

Trade-offs

She finished more than 30 points behind on about a tenth of the money, and has no record in state office to be judged on.

Keep in mind

Coverage surfaced little detail about her platform. That gap is what was available to us on 2026-08-10, not a comment on her candidacy.

Record in office

This seat is open — no candidate on the November ballot currently holds it. Avelino Valencia (Democratic) is a sitting Assemblymember and is lead author of 29 bills in the 2025–2026 session, 10 of them signed into law. Rhonda Shader 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

Valencia — AB 2421 (2026): Political Reform Act of 1974: committee termination. Valencia — AB 2655 (2026): Campaign funds: security expenses: security personnel. Valencia — AB 1398 (2025): Workers’ compensation. Committee assignments and the most recently signed-into-law bills each record-holder lead-authored, from the official legislative record.

Financial info

Rhonda Shader

$126,706raised
  • Small donors$4,9624%
  • Individuals$82,16366%
  • PACs & committees$27,80022%
  • Businesses & other orgs$9,6508%

Avelino Valencia

$1,233,907raised
  • Small donors$1,265<1%
  • Individuals$81,6617%
  • PACs & committees$607,55049%
  • Businesses & other orgs$542,43144%

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

Avelino Valencia (Democratic)65.2% · 92,826 votes
Rhonda Shader (Republican)34.8% · 49,569 votes
Source review: Very strong (97/100) · 4 cited sources

Official records anchor this contest, with multiple sources checked.

Last updated August 10, 2026.