Gov. Newsom Announces April 29, 2025 Special Election Date for Two State Elections

Governor Gavin Newsom signed a proclamation on Wednesday, officially setting the special election date for open Assembly and Senate seats for April 29, 2025.

Currently, there are two such races that are going to be on the ballot: The Senate 36th District and the Assembly 32nd District. The Senate 36th District, which stretches the coast from Southern Los Angeles County to near the San Diego County border and covers cities such as Huntington Beach, Newport Beach, Garden Grove, Seal Beach, and Cerritos, sits in a mostly Republican District. While 2024 wasn’t an election year for Senator there, the seat became vacant last month following now former Senator Janet Nguyen being elected back to the Orange County Board of Supervisors.

Nguyen, who was previously a Supervisor there from 2007 to 2014, moved onto the state Legislature, elected to the state Senate in 2014, the state Assembly in 2020, and the Senate again in 2022. Nguyen, who had originally not planned to run this year for Supervisor, only did so following the resignation of Supervisor Andrew Do. With his seat now open, Nguyen decided to go for another term as Supervisor and won, leaving her Senate seat open.

Meanwhile, the other race will take place in the Assembly 32nd district, which has a wide swath of both Visalia County and Kern County, having parts of the cities of Visalia and Bakersfield, and all the land between them. Like the Senate 36th District, the Assembly 32nd district is also majority Republican.

The Assembly race made headlines earlier this year when then Assemblyman Vince Fong was on the ballot for both the Assembly and House. Being on the ballot in both races was challenged in court. Fong managed to win the court battle and subsequently appeared on both ballots. Fong then won the Congressional seat special election in May, replacing the recently resigned Kevin McCarthy. Too late for the Assembly seat to go on the November ballot, the seat has remained vacant since June.

This led to Governor Newsom, along with Secretary of State Shirley Weber, officially proclaiming April 29, 2025 as the day of the special election on Wednesday, with the special election primary currently set for February 25, 2025.

Special elections

“I, GAVIN NEWSOM, Governor of the State of California, do hereby proclaim and order the following,” said the Governor in his proclamation.

1. “That a special election shall be held on the 29th day of April 2025, within the 32nd Assembly District of the State, to fill the vacancy of the office of State Assembly Member from said district; and
2. That a special election shall be held on the 29th day of April 2025, within the 36th Senate District of the State, to fill the vacancy of the office of State Senator from said district resulting from the resignation of Senator Janet Nguyen.”

While both races are expected to be won by Republicans because of the high numbers of registered GOP voters in each district, many Democrats have also expressed wanting to run in the special elections as well hoping for a surprise victory in at least one district. As the Democrats lost 2 seats in the state Assembly to the GOP last month, and one seat in the Senate, surprise victories in both seats would “even things out” for them. For the GOP, victories in both would only further cement a major turnaround for the GOP in state elections.

“As long as the Republicans have solid candidates in both elections, they’re going to win in both. The numbers are just on their side and GOP registered voters always come out on special elections,” pollster Carlos Rivas to the Globe on Thursday. “They need to win farm communities in the Central Valley and coastal Orange County essentially. That’s like telling the Democrats that they need to win Chicago and Boston.

“Neither side is going to go crazy with candidates, but you can expect some familiar names to pop up. And you’re right. The California GOP has been waiting a long time to brag about winning seats in both houses. These two elections will confirm that turnaround that took place in November.”

Primaries for both special elections are currently set for February 25, 2025.