AD-63 Seat up For Grabs in Runoff Aug. 26

Former California’s 63rd District’s Assemblymember Bill Essayli

Article By: Abigail Habib, IVN

After being appointed U.S. Attorney for the Central District of California by President Donald Trump on April 1, Bill Essayli abruptly left his seat as Assemblymember for California’s 63rd State Assembly District–which he was re–elected to just months prior. Assembly District 63 includes Canyon Lake, Lake Elsinore, Menifee and Norco and parts of Corona, Eastvale and Riverside.

To replace Essayli’s seat, Governor Gavin Newsom called for a special election on April 14. Republican Natasha Johnson, current Councilmember for the city of Lake Elsinore, and Democrat Chris Shoults, a Riverside County teacher, are leading the race with 46.15% and 44.12% of the 55,000 votes cast, respectively. Neither candidate has reached the majority vote threshold necessary to avoid a runoff election, which will be held on August 26.

Essayli, infamous for his proposed bill on banning transgender students from playing on girls’ sports teams, has joined Congressman Ken Calvert, Riverside County District Attorney Mike Hestrin and other local Republican leaders, in endorsing Johnson to succeed him.

However, despite 39% of AD-63’s approximately 320,000 registered voters being registered Republicans and only 33% being registered Democrats, Democrats remain confident that “the political landscape is shifting, and the old playbook no longer applies,” according to a communications brief by the Democrats of Greater Riverside. Additionally, Democrats nationwide have outperformed expectations in special elections since the start of Trump’s second term, according to The Press Enterprise. Results of special elections tend to be precarious due to trends of lower voter turnout, with this election seeing numbers on par with special elections in previous years.

Long-time Lake Elsinore resident Johnson has focused her campaign platform on issues including strengthening public safety, lowering the cost of living and addressing the homelessness crisis. Despite Shoults-funded online ads’ attempts to tie Johnson to Essayli, Trump and other Republican leaders, Johnson has yet to comment on her position on issues including the position of transgender athletes. Johnson did not immediately respond to our request for comment, however her campaign website hints at “protecting parental rights” with regards to education and the school setting—a debate Californians are all too familiar with.

Shoults, who lost to Essayli in the 2024 election for the AD-63 seat, stresses “kitchen table issues” including jobs, the cost of living, public safety and protecting veterans.

Shoults hopes that the stock market drops and increasing prices amidst Trump’s “tariff wars” will change the minds of constituents, claiming the special election results “make one thing clear: the people of California’s 63rd Assembly District are ready for a change,” in a press release.