Candidates for June primary are now set; see who is running in Kern County

Apr. 14—The California Secretary of State has released the official list of candidates who will seek office in the June primary election, locking in those who will be running over the next few months.

The updated list confirms candidates who have qualified to run, giving voters the first real opportunity to assess those who are seeking to represent the public in office.

Many state and local offices will be decided this election year, from Kern County treasurer-tax collector to governor.

For local offices, candidates who receive more than 50 percent of the vote during the June 7 primary election will win outright. If no candidate receives a majority, the top two vote-getters will advance to the November midterm election for a final determination.

For statewide offices, the top two candidates will proceed to the general election even if one receives more than 50 percent of the vote.

Below is a list of all candidates who will be running in Kern County.

Governor

Gov. Gavin Newsom will run for reelection for the second time in a 10-month period. The Democratic governor handily defended his leadership in the September 2021 recall, but now faces his regular reelection campaign.

He faces a host of challengers, including Republican Anthony Trimino, Independent Reinette Senum, Democrat Armando "Mando" Perez-Serrato, Independent James G. Hanink, Republican Leo S. Zacky, Democrat Joel Ventresca, Republican Robert C. Newman II, Green Party candidate Luis Javier Rodriguez, Republican Jenny Rae Le Roux, Republican Major Williams, Democrat Anthony "Tony" Fanara, Republican Cristian Raul Morales, Republican Daniel R. Mercuri, Green Party candidate Heather Collins, Republican Ronald A. Anderson, Republican Brian Dahle, Republican David Lozano, Independent Bradley Zink, Independent Serge Fiankan, Independent Frederic C. Schultz, Republican Shawn Collins, Independent Michael Shellenberger, Republican Lonnie Sorter, Republican Ron Jones and Independent Woodrow "Woody" Sanders III.

Lieutenant Governor

Those running for lieutenant governor include: Democratic incumbent Eleni Kounalakis, Republican David Fennell, Democrat Jeffrey Highbear Morgan, Democrat William Cavett "Skee" Saacke, Independent David Hillberg, Republican Clint W. Saunders, Republican Angela E. Underwood Jacobs and Peace and Freedom Party Candidate Mohammad Arif.

Secretary of State

Democrat Shirley Weber will seek to retain the position to which she was appointed in January 2021.

Her challengers are Republican Rachel Hamm, Green Party candidate Gary N. Blenner, Republican Raul Rodriguez Jr., Independent Matthew D. Cinquanta, Republican James "JW" Paine and Republican Rob Bernosky.

Controller

Incumbent Betty Yee is not running for reelection because she has reached her term limit, leaving the office open for a newcomer.

Ron Galperin, the Democratic controller for the city of Los Angeles is seeking Yee's position. He will face state Board of Equalization member Malia M. Cohen, a Democrat, along with Republican fiscal adviser Lanchee Chen, Democrat Chief Financial Officer Yvonne Yu, Green Party candidate financial analyst Laura Wells and state Sen. Steve Glazer, D-Alameda.

Treasurer

Democrat Incumbent Fiona Ma is seeking reelection. Her challengers will be Peace and Freedom Candidate Meghann Adams, Republican Jack M. Guerrero and Republican Andrew Do.

Attorney General

Current Attorney General Rob Bonta was appointed to his position following former AG Xavier Becerra's ascension to Secretary of Health and Human Services. Bonta will seek election to the office along with Republican Nathan Hochman, Independent Anne Marie Schubert, Republican Eric Early and Green Party candidate Dan Kapelovitz.

Insurance Commissioner

Democrat Ricardo Lara is seeking reelection. He will face off against Vinson Eugene Allen, Green Party candidate Veronika Fimbres, Democrat Marc Levine, Peace and Freedom Candidate Nathalie Hrizi, Democrat Jasper "Jay" Jackson, Republican Robert Howell, Independent Robert J. Molnar and Republican Greg Conlon.

State Board of Equalization 1st District

Republican Ted Gaines is seeking reelection. His challengers include Democrat Braden Murphy, Democrat Jose S. Altamirano and Democrat Nader Shahatit.

U.S. Senator

Sen. Alex Padilla is seeking election to the seat he was appointed to in 2020, filling the vacancy left by Vice President Kamala Harris.

Others seeking his office include Democrat Akinyemi Agbede, Independent Daphne Bradford, Republican Mark Meuser, Republican James Bradley, Independent Don Grundman, Democrat Obiadul Huq Pirjada, Peace and Freedom Candidate John Thompson Parker, Republican Robert George Lucero Jr., Republican Carlos Guillermo Tapia, Republican Chuck Smith, Independent Deon D. Jenkins, Independent Eleanor Garcia, Green Party candidate James "Henk" Conn, Green Party candidate Pamela Elizondo, Republican Sarah Sun Liew, Republican Cordie Williams, Democrat Douglas Howard Pierce, Democrat Dan O'Dowd, Republican Myron L. Hall, Republican Enrique Petris, Republican Jon Elist, Democrat Timothy J. Urisch.

20th Congressional District

Rep. Kevin McCarthy, R-Bakersfield, is seeking his ninth term in office. In a newly drawn district, he will face off against Republican engineer James Davis, Democrat Meteorologist Ben Dewell, Republican retired accountant James Macauley and Democrat teacher Marisa Wood.

22nd Congressional District

Rep. David Valadao, R-Hanford, will attempt to hold onto his seat in the next election. He must contend with Assemblyman Rudy Salas, D-Bakersfield, Republican businessman Chris Mathys and Republican businessman Adam Medeiros.

23rd Congressional District

Touching only a small part of Kern County, the candidates for the 23rd Congressional District are Democrat community organizer Derek Marshall, Republican Congressman Jay Obernolte and Democrat councilwoman Blanca A. Gomez.

12th State Senate District

State Sen. Shannon Grove, R-Bakersfield, is running in a new district due to redistricting. She is facing off against Democrat retired program manager Susanne Gundy.

16th State Senate District

State Sen. Melissa Hurtado, D-Sanger, will take on former Democrat Assemblywoman Nicole Parra in a new district. Other challengers include Democrat Delano Mayor Bryan Osorio, Republican Pastor Gregory Tatum and Republican Farmer David Shepard.

32nd Assembly District

Republican incumbent Vince Fong is running unopposed.

34th Assembly District

Composed of mostly San Bernardino County, the candidates for the 34th Assembly District are Independent Roger Laplante, Republican Paul Fournier, Republican Thurston "Thursty" Smith, Democrat Raj Kahlon, Democrat Rita Ramirez Dean and Republican Tom Lackey.

35th Assembly District

Kern County Supervisor Leticia Perez is running as a Democrat against Democrat physician Jasmeet Bains.

Superior Court Judge Office 6

Deputy District Attorney Michael Caves is running unopposed.

Superior Court Judge Office 10

Civil Attorney T. Mark Smith is running unopposed.

State Superintendent of Public Instruction

Superintendent of Public Instruction Tony K. Thurmond is running for reelection against George Yang, Marco Amaral, Jim Gibson, Joseph Guy Campbell, Lance Ray Christensen and Ainye E. Long.

County Superintendent of Schools

Incumbent Mary C. Barlow is running unopposed.

Kern County Supervisor District 2

Supervisor Zack Scrivner is seeking a fourth term in office and running against Pete Graff and Kelly Carden Jr.

Kern County Supervisor District 3

Supervisor Mike Maggard is retiring at the end of his term, leaving his office open. His Chief of Staff Jeff Flores is running against Retired California Highway Patrol Commander Brian Smith and nonprofit director Louis Gill.

Assessor-Recorder

Assistant Assessor Laura Avila is running against Chief Appraiser Todd Reeves.

Auditor-Controller-County Clerk

Assistant Auditor-Controller Aimee X. Espinoza is running against businessman Mark McKenzie.

District Attorney

District Attorney Cynthia Zimmer is running unopposed.

Sheriff-Coroner-Public Administrator

Sheriff-Coroner Donny Youngblood is running unopposed.

Treasurer-Tax Collector

Incumbent Jordan Kaufman is running unopposed.

Editor's note: This story has been edited to correct a detail about the candidates who will proceed to the general election.

You can reach Sam Morgen at 661-395-7415. You may also follow him on Twitter @smorgenTBC.