GOP Assemblywoman From Lake Elsinore Leads In State Senate Race

LAKE ELSINORE, CA — Semi-final results from Tuesday's mail-ballot special election to decide California's 28th Senate District race show Lake Elsinore Assemblywoman Melissa Melendez (R) with a wide lead over Riverside County Board of Education member Elizabeth Romero (D).

According to the Riverside County Registrar of Voters tallies Tuesday night, Melendez received 95,378 votes compared to 75,248 for Romero.

Voted ballots had to be received by the registrar no later than 8 p.m. Tuesday. Ballots postmarked on or before May 12 and received no more than three days after election day will still be counted.

The next update from the registrar will be posted Friday. The registrar's office reported nearly 500,000 ballots had been issued for the special election.

The race for the 28th Senate District seat began last fall when former Sen. Jeff Stone resigned his position to take the reins as the Trump administration's western regional director for the U.S. Department of Labor. A total of five candidates entered the 28th District contest, culminating in Melendez and Romero netting the highest number of votes in the March 3 primary.

Gov. Gavin Newsom issued an executive order two weeks later directing that the special election involving the two candidates be conducted exclusively by absentee ballot as part of state's coronavirus mitigation effort.

Melendez, who has represented the 67th Assembly District since 2012, is standing on her anti-tax record, public safety advocacy and pro-job growth positions in campaign literature.

The U.S. Navy veteran and mother of five has said that, if elected, she will seek improvements to the state's water storage infrastructure and will "stand up to special interests to protect small businesses and push for more good paying jobs."

Melendez has been a staunch supporter of President Donald Trump and a frequent critic of Newsom, particularly during the coronavirus state of emergency, saying in one recent tweet that the governor is "ruling by fiat."

According to Romero's campaign, healthcare access and higher education opportunities will be among her top priorities if elected.

She has vowed to "bring emerging job sectors to Riverside County, including clean energy, healthcare and advanced manufacturing high-wage jobs that provide healthcare benefits and retirement security."

The candidate points to her experience going back to 2006 working in executive capacities, including positions on the staffs of late county Supervisors Roy Wilson and John Benoit, as preparing her for the Legislature.

Her supporters include Board of Supervisors Chairman Manuel Perez and California Senate President Pro Tem Toni Atkins, D-San Diego.

The last special election for state Senate in Riverside County occurred in 2010, when John Benoit vacated his 37th Senate District seat to serve on the Board of Supervisors, representing the Fourth District.

The 37th District was redrawn after the 2010 Census, and much of it was incorporated into what is now the 28th District, stretching from the eastern Coachella Valley to the Temecula Valley. The district includes the cities of Blythe, Canyon Lake, Cathedral City, Coachella, Desert Hot Springs, Indian Wells, Indio, Lake Elsinore, La Quinta, Murrieta, Temecula, Palm Desert, Palm Springs, Rancho Mirage and Wildomar.

—City News Service contributed to this report.