Will The 28th Senate District Flip? 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 28th District State Senate race. Currently, there are five candidates on the ballot for the district that 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.

The spotlight is on the race after Sen. Jeff Stone (R) resigned his seat last fall to become western regional director of the U.S. Department of Labor.

The race is also a nail-biter because it could flip to Democratic. As of February 17, 174,329 of registered voters identify as Democratic in the 28th District while 171,927 identify as Republican, according to the California Secretary of State. But the data also show that 107,814 voters registered as No Party Preference.

The race is also being watched because current Assemblywoman Melissa Melendez (R), who represents the 67th District — which 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 — is in the contest. She is slated to term out in the assembly at the end of the year.

Besides Melendez, the other four candidates on the ballot in the 28th Senate District are Anna Nevenic (D), Elizabeth Romero (D), John Schwab (R), and Joy Silver (D).

As per election rules, the top-two 28th District vote-getters in this week’s primary contest will advance to the November general election, regardless of their party affiliation.