67th Assembly District Race: 2020 Primary Election

MURRIETA, CA — As the March 3 Consolidated Presidential Primary Election gets underway this week, it’s down to the wire in the 67th District State Assembly race.

The race is of interest because there is no incumbent — current Assemblywoman Melissa Melendez (R) terms out at the end of the year and is running for state senate. Even more interesting is that three current city council members are vying for the 67th seat: Canyon Lake's Jeremy Smith (R), Lake Elsinore's Steve Manos (R), and Murrieta's Kelly Seyarto (R).

Besides the three city council members, Jerry Carlos (D), who served a long career in law enforcement, and Nick Pardue (R), who is listed on the ballot as an educator, are both running in the 67th.

The 67th District has been a Republican stronghold. As of February 17, 81,171 registered voters identified as Democratic, while 106,245 identified as Republican in the district, according to the California Secretary of State. The data also show that 62,069 voters registered as No Party Preference.

The 67th District includes Canyon Lake, East Hemet, El Sobrante, French Valley, Good Hope, Hemet, Homeland, Lake Elsinore, Lake Mathews, Lakeland Village, Menifee, Murrieta, Nuevo, Temescal Valley, Wildomar, and Woodcrest.

As per election rules, the top-two 67th District vote-getters in this week’s primary contest will advance to the November general election, regardless of their party affiliation.