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2021 California's 79th State Assembly district special election

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2021 California's 79th State Assembly district special election

← 2020 April 6, 2021 2022 →

California's 79th State Assembly district
 
Nominee Akilah Weber Marco Contreras
Party Democratic Republican
Popular vote 33,197 21,359
Percentage 51.97% 33.44%

 
Nominee Leticia Munguia Shane Parmely
Party Democratic Democratic
Popular vote 5,263 3,241
Percentage 8.24% 5.07%

Assemblymember before election

Shirley Weber
Democratic

Elected Assemblymember

Akilah Weber
Democratic

The 2021 California's 79th State Assembly district special election was held on April 6, 2021. Democratic nominee Akilah Weber defeated Republican nominee Marco Contreras and three other Democratic candidates to succeed Shirley Weber in the California State Assembly.

Weber, who had served in the state assembly since her election in 2012, was appointed to serve as Secretary of State of California. Governor Gavin Newsom called a special election which was won by Weber's daughter in the primary without the need of the second top-two election.

Background

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Shirley Weber was elected to the California State Assembly from the 79th district during the 2012 election.[1] Alex Padilla, the Secretary of State of California, resigned from his position after being appointed to the United States Senate and James Schwab was selected to serve as interim secretary of state. Weber was appointed by Governor Gavin Newsom on December 22, 2020, to serve as secretary of state and was sworn in on January 29, 2021.[2][3]

On February 2, Newsom called a special election for the 79th district with a primary held on April 6, and the general held on June 8.[4]

Campaign

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Akilah Weber, the daughter of Weber, Aeiramique Glass Blake, a member of the San Diego Chief of Police Board of Advisors and the San Diego City Attorney’s Advisory Board, Leticia Munguia, an investigator for the San Diego Alternate Public Defender, and Shane Suzanne Parmely, a teacher, ran in the election as member of the Democratic Party.[5] Marco Contreras ran as a member of the Republican Party.[6]

Ammar Campa-Najjar, who had unsuccessfully ran for a seat in the United States House of Representatives in the 2018 and 2020 elections, announced that he would not run after having formed an exploratory committee stating that the district should be represented by a woman of color.[7]

Weber won in the primary with over fifty percent of the popular vote which resulted in her becoming a member of the state assembly without the second top-two election being held.[8]

Declared

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  • Aeiramique Glass Blake (Democratic), advisor to San Diego Chief of Police and City Attorney[5]
  • Marco Contreras (Republican), small business owner[6]
  • Leticia Munguia (Democratic), investigator[5]
  • Shane Suzanne Parmely (Democratic), educator[5]
  • Akilah Weber (Democratic), pediatrician and daughter of Shirley Weber[5]

Declined

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Endorsements

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Marco Contreras (R)
State officials
Local officials
Organizations
Akilah Weber (D)
Federal officials
Statewide officials
State officials
Local officials
Individuals
Newspapers
Organizations

Finance

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Candidate Campaign committee
Raised Spent COH
Aeiramique Glass Blake[12] $6,320.71 $4,772.99 $3,908.91
Marco Contreras[13] $129,232.01 $103,301.30 $77,609.53
Leticia Munguia[14] $51,617.21 $22,945.97 $33,837.00
Shane Parmely[15] $23,228.00 $23,228.00 $0.00
Akilah Weber[16] $307,865.28 $266,945.87 $129,751.20

Polling

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Poll source Date(s)
administered
Sample
size
Margin
of error
Ammar
Campa-Najjar (D)
John
McCann (R)
Akilah
Weber (D)
Others/
Undecided
Strategies 360 January 19, 2021 ± ? 22% 26% 14% 38%

Results

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2021 California's 79th State Assembly district special election[17][8]
Party Candidate Votes %
Democratic Akilah Weber 33,197 51.97
Republican Marco Contreras 21,359 33.44
Democratic Leticia Munguia 5,263 8.24
Democratic Shane Suzanne Parmely 3,241 5.07
Democratic Aeiramique Glass Blake 818 1.28
Total votes 63,878 100.00
Democratic hold

References

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  1. ^ "Shirley Weber Sworn in as California's First Black Secretary of State". Times of San Diego. January 29, 2021. Archived from the original on July 4, 2021.
  2. ^ "Alex Padilla Resigns as California Secretary of State; James Schwab to Serve as Interim Secretary". Secretary of State of California. January 18, 2021. Archived from the original on July 4, 2021.
  3. ^ "Governor Newsom Swears in Dr. Shirley Weber as California Secretary of State". Governor of California. January 29, 2021. Archived from the original on July 4, 2021.
  4. ^ "Gov. Newsom announces special election to fill seat of former Assemblywoman Shirley Weber". Los Angeles Times. February 2, 2021. Archived from the original on July 4, 2021.
  5. ^ a b c d e "California Assembly candidates weigh in on race for 79th District". The San Diego Union-Tribune. February 25, 2021. Archived from the original on July 4, 2021.
  6. ^ a b "Marco Contreras is running for State Assembly". San Diego News Desk. January 25, 2021. Archived from the original on July 4, 2021.
  7. ^ "Campa-Najjar will not seek 79th Assembly district seat". The San Diego Union-Tribune. January 19, 2021. Archived from the original on July 4, 2021.
  8. ^ a b "Dr. Akilah Weber leads 79th Assembly race, winning 52% of early and in-person votes". The San Diego Union-Tribune. April 6, 2021. Archived from the original on July 4, 2021.
  9. ^ Warth, Gary (January 19, 2021). "Campa-Najjar will not seek 79th Assembly district seat". The San Diego Union-Tribune.
  10. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m "Contreras endorsements". Marco Contreras. Archived from the original on July 4, 2021.
  11. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w x y z aa ab ac ad ae af "Weber endorsements". Akilah Weber. Archived from the original on July 4, 2021.
  12. ^ "Aeiramique Glass Blake campaign finance". Secretary of State of California. Archived from the original on July 4, 2021.
  13. ^ "Marco Contreras campaign finance". Secretary of State of California. Archived from the original on July 4, 2021.
  14. ^ "Leticia Munguia campaign finance". Secretary of State of California. Archived from the original on July 4, 2021.
  15. ^ "Shane Parmely campaign finance". Secretary of State of California. Archived from the original on July 4, 2021.
  16. ^ "Akilah Weber campaign finance". Secretary of State of California. Archived from the original on July 4, 2021.
  17. ^ "Special Primary Election, April 6, 2021". Secretary of State of California. April 6, 2021. Archived from the original on July 4, 2021.