Two hundred and sixty-seven major party candidates filed to run in California legislative elections, the fewest at any point since 2010. One hundred forty-nine are Democrats, and 119 are Republicans. All 80 Assembly seats and 20 of 40 Senate seats are up for election.
Twenty-one seats are open, meaning no incumbents filed. This means newcomers will make up at least 18% of the legislature next year. The average number of open seats each cycle from 2010 to 2024 was 30.
Thirty-one California state legislative incumbents face primary contests in 2026, the fourth-highest number at any point since 2010. This is a 15% increase in the number of incumbents facing challengers compared to 2024.
Twenty-two of the contested incumbents are Democrats, and nine are Republicans. Twenty-three are state assemblymembers, and eight are state senators.
California has 50 contested state legislative primaries in 2026, down 14% from 2024.
All of these primaries are top-two primaries where all candidates compete on the same ballot.
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