California State Assembly Candidate Bill Essayli is the top Republican vote-getter for the new 63rd District, which encompasses Riverside County.
Essayli, an attorney, garnered 34.19% of the vote compared to his Democratic opponent Fauzia Rizvi. He also defeated his Republican rival Clint Lorimore who secured 25.78% of the vote.
“The combined Republican vote was 60%, so we're looking in good shape,” Essayli told the Southern California Record.
California was one of seven states that held their primary last week on June 7 along with Iowa, Montana, New Mexico, South Dakota, New Jersey, and Mississippi.
“We have to address the new way of voting in California,” Essayli said. “We don't have precincts anymore. We have voting centers and there are a lot of Republican voters who have some legitimate concerns about election integrity and the best way to vote. The other factor is too many candidates on the ballot and there wasn't anything particularly motivating for voters to show up for at this primary like a ballot initiative or some big statewide issue going on to get people out.”
Essayli was successful despite a low Republican voter turnout.
“We need to get our volunteers trained and activate them to go out into their neighborhoods and be our foot soldiers on the ground with their friends and family,” he said. “The ballot is just overwhelming for most people.”
Republican incumbent Suzette Martinez Valladares for Assembly District 38 was up against two Democrats, however neither Pilar Schiavo nor Annie Cho has been certified as of yet.
“Pilar Schiavo is most likely going to be my opponent and she is somebody who does not support suspending the gas tax and actually just wants to continue to make energy more expensive, not just gas,” Valladares told the Southern California Record.
At 23.7% of the vote in Assembly District 26, Republican Tim Gorsulowsky gathered enough votes to defeat Democrat Long Jiao. Gorsulowsky will now challenge Democrat incumbent Evan Lowe who garnered 66.9% of the vote.
“We have to let voters know that common-sense solutions are with the Republicans,” Essayli said. “If you're tired of the direction of California and the way things are going, then you’ve got to take a different path and that's the Republican path.”
In the 32nd and 59th Assembly Districts, respectively, Republican incumbents Vince Fong and Philip Chen both ran unopposed while Ian Weeks in District 36 outranked his Democrat opponent Marlon Ware. In November, Weeks will face Democrat incumbent Eduardo Garcia.
Representing 43rd Assembly district Republicans, Siaka Massaquoi, an actor and Jan. 6 suspect, campaigned against Democrat incumbent Luz Maria Rivas unopposed and will advance to the general election on Nov. 8.
"This is one of the ways that we, as conservatives, can fight back is by considering these positions that many don't even pay attention to and just jump in there because now my opponent Luz Rivas has to answer questions," Massaquoi told the Southern California Record.