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California Legislature · Statewide General Election

State Senator, District 38

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).

Senator Catherine S. Blakespear took 54.7% of the June 2 vote and Republican Laura Bassett took 45.3% — a 9.4-point gap and a narrow majority for a sitting member. The district covers coastal north San Diego County and part of south 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. Which party wins here determines whether this district's member works inside the majority or the minority for four years.

A sitting Senator clearing a majority by under five points, against a challenger running on about an eighth of her money, is a signal about this district worth carrying into November. Weigh her enacted record against that softness.

Catherine S. Blakespear

Democrat, the sitting Senator for this district. She is lead author of 35 bills in the 2025–2026 session, 5 of them signed into law. She raised $1,110,683, including $191,940 from individuals and $5,660 from small donors.

Strengths

Five bills signed into law this session, with a reasonable individual donor base alongside the institutional money.

Trade-offs

She took only 54.7% in her own primary, a modest hold for a sitting Senator.

Keep in mind

Clearing a majority by under five points against a modestly funded challenger is on the weaker end for a sitting member here.

Laura Bassett

Republican, who took 45.3% of the June vote. She raised $140,870, including $91,075 from individuals and $27,722 from PACs and committees. She has not served in the California Legislature or U.S. Congress.

Strengths

She came within ten points of a sitting Senator on about an eighth of the money, with most of her funding from individuals rather than committees.

Trade-offs

That resource gap is wide going into the general, and she has no record in office to be judged on.

Keep in mind

Coverage surfaced little detail about her platform; what we can document is how close she came and how her campaign is funded, not what she would do in office.

Record in office

Catherine S. Blakespear (Democratic) is the sitting State Senator for this district and is lead author of 35 bills in the 2025–2026 session, 5 of them signed into law. Laura Bassett 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

Blakespear — SB 92 (2025): Housing development: density bonuses. Blakespear — SB 477 (2025): California Fair Employment and Housing Act: enforcement procedures. Blakespear — SB 710 (2025): Property taxation: active solar energy systems. Committee assignments and the most recently signed-into-law bills each record-holder lead-authored, from the official legislative record.

Financial info

Laura Bassett

$140,870raised
  • Small donors$1,8451%
  • Individuals$91,07569%
  • PACs & committees$27,72221%
  • Businesses & other orgs$1,5001%
  • Self-funding$10,0008%

Catherine S. Blakespear

$1,110,683raised
  • Small donors$5,6601%
  • Individuals$191,94020%
  • PACs & committees$451,60048%
  • Businesses & other orgs$293,25031%

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

Catherine S. Blakespear (Democratic)54.7% · 155,938 votes
Laura Bassett (Republican)45.3% · 129,078 votes
Source review: Very strong (97/100) · 4 cited sources

Official records anchor this contest, with multiple sources checked.

Last updated August 10, 2026.