This fall, about half a million Riverside County residents will have a new representative in Sacramento.
Who that will be hinges on the outcome of a Tuesday, Aug. 26, special election in California’s 63rd Assembly District.
Republican Natasha Johnson and Democrat Chris Shoults are on the ballot in the race to succeed Republican Bill Essayli, who resigned in April to become U.S. attorney for much of Southern California.
The 63rd includes Norco, Menifee, Lake Elsinore and Canyon Lake and parts of Eastvale, Riverside and Corona. Johnson and Shoults are seeking to serve the remainder of Essayli’s term, which expires at the end of 2026.
Johnson, a Lake Elsinore city councilmember, and Shoults, a teacher from Menifee who ran against Essayli in 2024, were the top two vote-getters in a June 24 primary that featured two other candidates.
Johnson, who got 46.15% of the primary vote to Shoults’ 44.12%, has an edge in the 63rd’s voter registration. About 39% of the district’s registered voters are Republican, compared to roughly 33% for Democrats.
Another factor in Johnson’s favor is that the Republican candidates in the primary — Johnson and Vincent Romo — got roughly 55% of the total vote.
That said, special elections are often unpredictable because of fluctuating voter turnout, and Democrats from coast to coast have outperformed special election expectations since Donald Trump returned to the White House.
Almost half a million dollars and counting have been raised by both candidates in the Aug. 26 election — more than $262,000 by Johnson and almost $236,000 by Shoults.
Johnson’s top donors include unions representing state corrections officers and Riverside County sheriff’s deputies, 2026 GOP gubernatorial candidate and Riverside County Sheriff Chad Bianco and Southern California Edison.
Top contributors to Shoults’ campaign include unions representing government employees and construction trade unions.
Ballots have been mailed to the district’s roughly 314,000 registered voters and voting will continue through Aug. 26.
Voters can mail in ballots or drop them off at various locations listed on the Riverside County Voter of Registrars’ website. By law, ballots postmarked on or before Election Day and received by Sept. 2 must be counted.
Voters also can cast ballots in person on Election Day or before at vote centers. The following vote centers will open from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. starting Saturday, Aug. 16:
- Islamic Society of Corona, multi-purpose room, 465 Santana Way, Corona
- Outlets at Lake Elsinore, Room 154B, 17600 Collier Ave., Building F, Lake Elsinore
- Norco Library, community room, 3240 Hamner Ave., #101B, Norco
- Orange Terrace Library, community room, 20010 Orange Terrace Parkway, Riverside
- Woodcrest Library, community room, 16625 Krameria Ave., Woodcrest
These vote centers will be open from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., starting Saturday, Aug. 23:
- Canyon Lake Golf & Country Club, Magnolia Room, 32001 Railroad Canyon Road, Canyon Lake
- Roosevelt High School, library conference room, 7447 Scholar Way, Eastvale
- Lakeland Village Community Center, dance room, 16275 Grand Ave., near Lake Elsinore
- Lake Mathews Community Room, 16453 El Sobrante Road, near Riverside
- UC Riverside Student Health & Wellness Building, 1316 Conference Room, 388 W. Linden St., Building 834, Riverside
Early voting also is available at the county registrar’s office, 2720 Gateway Drive, Riverside. Vote centers will be open from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. on Election Day.
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