Initial election results Tuesday night show Assemblymember Blanca Pacheco with a sizable lead over her sole opponent in her bid for reelection in Assembly District 65.
Pacheco, a Democrat, and Ortiz, a Republican from La Mirada, are the only candidates in the race and will advance to the general in November.
Results will be updated every weekday until all ballots are counted. Continue to check back here for updates.
Pacheco was first elected in 2022 to represent AD-64, a district that spans Los Angeles and Orange counties and includes the city of La Habra. She’s the former mayor of Downey and has worked as an attorney for more than two decades, according to her legislative biography.
Check here for the latest results
In the Assembly, Pacheco chairs the Rules Committee.
A pest control branch manager, Ortiz has held positions with local Republican parties as well as the CAGOP.
This isn’t the first time Ortiz has run for this seat. In 2022, he lost to Pacheco by more than 22,000 votes.
As of Feb. 20, per the secretary of state’s office data, there are 50.7% registered Democratic voters, 21.7% Republicans and 21.1% no party preference.
