Republicans in California’s majority-Latino state, including Indio and Coachella, are poised to turn a Democratic state Assembly seat red.
Jeff Gonzalez, an Iraq and Afghanistan war veteran, will beat Democrat Joey Acuña, a school board member, in the 36th Assembly District.
Gonzalez leads by an unbeaten 4,362 votes, or 3.1%, as of Friday, according to official count numbers.
If Gonzalez gets through the line, it will be the first time since 1992 that California Republicans have won a seat in the state Legislature during a presidential cycle, according to California Assembly member Bill Essayli.
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Jeff Gonzalez, an Iraq and Afghanistan war veteran, will beat Democrat Joey Acuña, a school board member, in the 36th Assembly District. (© Richard Lui/The Desert Sun)
If elected, Gonzalez will replace longtime Democratic legislator Eduardo Garcia as the next member of the state assembly in the growing district. Garcia, of Coachella, decided not to seek re-election this year and instead endorsed Acuña, the president of the Coachella Valley Unified School District board, according to the Desert Sun.
The dramatic seat gains are soon underscored by the fact that Democrats make up about 42.3% of the county’s 245,500 registered voters, while Republicans make up 28.7%. Voters with no party affiliation were 21.6% of the total, according to the Desert Sun.
In the March primary, Gonzalez received about 21,000 votes compared to about 12,000 for Acuña. However, the Democratic candidates overall received about 4,500 more votes than the Republicans.
California, a blue state, was easily won by Vice President Harris, who currently leads President-elect Trump 58.8% to 38% with 92.85% of the vote counted.
Gonzalez is a 21-year Marine Corps veteran who also served on embassies in Honduras and the Czech Republic, working closely with former Secretary of State Madeleine Albright, according to his campaign website.
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Jeff Gonzalez speaks to voters during a campaign for electoral justice and voter registration at the College of the Desert in Palm Desert, Calif., Oct. 21, 2024. (Jay Calderon/Desert Sun / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images)
He is also a teacher and owns three small businesses, according to his website. He is married and has four sons, one of whom is physically and mentally disabled and lives with him and his wife to support the carer.
Gonzalez ran on a platform of cutting red tape, lowering taxes and fees on groceries and gas and “reviving the California Dream.”
He also wants to address inflation by passing “the largest middle-class tax cut in California history.”
Gonzalez also vows to improve education, saying he is concerned about declining test scores and graduation rates. He wants to hire more teachers and more security at the school to create a safe learning environment and promote unity by supporting good ideas from both sides.
Acuña ran on addressing affordability, housing and public safety.
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California, a blue state, was easily won by Vice President Harris, who currently leads President-elect Trump 58.8% to 38% with 92.85% of the vote counted. (AP Photo/Stephanie Scarbrough)
“I want to make sure that the children who grow up in our region get good-paying jobs, safe places, world-class schools, and clean air and water,” he said on his website.
Acuña is serving his fifth term on the Coachella Valley Unified School District Board of Trustees. In this role, he said he worked to improve graduation rates, improve after-school programs, and expand the county’s college and career programs, according to his website.
He works professionally as a health clinic development manager and a local tribal grant writer.
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