Lopez wins in most expensive statehouse race in California
SANTA ANA — Santa Ana Councilmember Jessie Lopez declared victory in the race for California State Assembly District 68. According to the Orange County Registrar of Voters’ latest ballot count, Lopez leads by 4,126 votes.
In response to her first-place finish, Lopez issued the following statement:
“I am deeply grateful to our coalition partners, our hardworking families, and every voter, volunteer, and supporter who made this historic victory possible. At a time when more than $12 million was poured into this race, our community came together and made its voice heard. This victory is a powerful reminder that our democracy belongs to Californians, not the corporations and wealthy special interests that too often wield outsized influence over our politics.
In the Legislature, my focus will be on making life affordable, holding those in power accountable, and ensuring that working people have a real voice in the decisions shaping their lives. This campaign was about more than winning an election. It was about who our government works for.”
Assemblymember-Elect Jessie Lopez is a Santa Ana City Councilmember and the proud daughter of immigrants. First elected in 2020, she has focused on expanding affordable housing, addressing homelessness, improving water quality, strengthening public safety, and investing in youth programs. Lopez has championed government transparency by banning city contracts for family members of city officials and establishing a lobbyist registry at City Hall.
Lopez’s robust grassroots campaign built a strong coalition of longtime local supporters, statewide organizations, health care workers, and service employees’ unions with a message focused on affordability and protections for working-class and immigrant families. Their collective efforts blunted the outsized influence of big tech, oil, landlords, and other corporate spenders, who spent a total of $12.5 million in the primary and general elections — a sum so large that CalMatters stated it was one of the most expensive races this year.
Lopez supporters issued the following statements:
Jorge Contreras, State Director of the California Working Families Party:
“In this election, working families in Orange County said loud and clear: our community is not for sale. Despite an avalanche of corporate money spent against her, Jessie Lopez prevailed in the race for AD-68.
A WFP champion through and through, Jessie was one of our first party endorsements in 2020. Jessie ran a people-powered campaign that refused corporate cash and put working people at the forefront. Orange County voters saw through the lies and stood behind a true working- class champion.
Jessie Lopez will become the first woman to ever represent AD-68 and will join a growing number of Working Families Party champions elected across California, including a three-member block on the Santa Ana City Council, that are ready to deliver on an agenda that puts working families first.”
Jonathan Paik, Executive Director of OC Action:
“Jessie has always been a champion that delivers. From building green spaces to enacting rent control and police oversight in Santa Ana, Jessie has been one of Orange County’s most responsive and hardworking leaders in memory. We are proud to stand with Jessie as she represents us in Sacramento and as we reimagine the Orange County that we all deserve.”
Bulmaro Vicente, Policy Director of Chispa:
“Jessie’s victory marks a historic moment for central Orange County. Chispa has proudly stood alongside Jessie since her first City Council campaign in 2020 because we have witnessed firsthand her unwavering commitment to working-class families, immigrants, and communities that have too often been left out of the political process.
Her election is a testament to the power of grassroots organizing and years of building political power from the ground up. It also reflects the growing political influence of young Latino voters and a new generation of progressive leaders who are reshaping the political landscape of Orange County.”
Assembly District 68 is situated in Orange County and includes the communities of Santa Ana, Anaheim, and Orange.
Leave a Reply