Election results: Christy Holstege still ahead in Assembly race, but lead over Greg Wallis narrows

After a hard-fought race, Democrat Christy Holstege was still leading Republican Greg Wallis for a seat in the California Assembly. But her lead had narrowed to fewer than 4,000 votes in results posted Thursday afternoon, and thousands of ballots remained to be counted.

Holstege was up 51.8% to 48.2%, according to results posted by the California secretary of state.

Riverside County's voter registrar planned to post updated vote totals Thursday at 6 p.m.. The 47th Assembly District covers parts Riverside and San Bernardino counties.

Holstege was winning the Riverside County portion of the district, with 42,028 votes to Wallis' 33,118. In the San Bernardino County portion, Wallis had 14,032 votes to Holstege's 8,711. In total, Holstege had 50,739 votes and Wallis 47,150.

Holstege is a Palm Springs attorney who is in the middle of her second term on the city council. Wallis has never held public office but has spent the past seven years working for Assemblymember Chad Mayes.

Mayes announced in January that he would not seek reelection after eight years in the assembly. He was a Republican but left the party in 2020, becoming the only independent in the state Legislature.

On Wednesday afternoon, Wallis said there were still a significant number of votes outstanding, adding, "I'm confident in the process and look forward to seeing the results once every vote has been counted."

In a statement, Wallis also said he was "ecstatic" about the amount of support residents showed his campaign and what he described as its vision for safer streets, better schools and a more affordable California.

After taking the stage at Hotel Zoso in downtown Palm Springs at about 10:30 p.m. Tuesday, Holstege told supporters she was “cautiously optimistic that we’re going to win this seat.”

“Ten years ago, Raul Ruiz flipped this district for Congress, and here we are 10 years later celebrating flipping this Assembly district from red to blue,” she said.

Holstege said her campaign was not about her, but about a movement to deliver critically needed change to the district, which she said has for too long been left behind by the state.

“We haven’t gotten an equitable distribution of resources to our community...” she said. “We have so many needs for transportation, affordable housing, living wages, combatting the climate crisis, so many needs that we really need a true champion on.”

In an interview, Holstege told The Desert Sun she'd be proud to be the first openly bisexual woman to serve in the Assembly, after previously being the first openly bisexual mayor in America.

“Firsts are not new to me...,” she said. “But I know it’s historic for our community and especially the LGBTQ community that has played such a pivotal role in representation and advocacy for our civil rights, and so I’m just proud because I think those firsts belong to the voters, Palm Springs residents and now to this district — and not to me.”

The newly constituted 47th District includes parts of the western and central Coachella Valley.

The area was represented by Republicans for eight years, but this election put that tendency to the test now that cities stretching from Palm Springs to La Quinta are part of the district. 

It includes much of what was inside the previous 42nd District. However, it also includes portions of San Jacinto and Hemet, plus Desert Hot Springs, Cathedral City, La Quinta, Idyllwild and an area extending east nearly to Desert Center.

Registered Democrats outnumber registered Republicans 38% to 35% in the new district, as they did 37% to 34% in the old district.

The candidates emphasized their career experiences in their campaigns. Holstege touted her service on a city council working to address homelessness, COVID-19 and other issues, while Wallis described working on legislation on behalf of Mayes that addressed taxes and healthcare.

However, the campaign was also often tense and heavy on attacks: Holstege took aim at Wallis for his stance — or, in her view, lack thereof — on abortion, while Wallis has hit Holstege for raising fees and supporting a sales tax increase in Palm Springs.

Last month, The Desert Sun asked each candidate about their three main priorities.

Wallis' included addressing the current high cost of living in California by suspending the gas tax, passing a middle-class tax cut and reducing unfair fees "that make affordable housing impossible." Wallis said he would also seek to address failing schools by increasing teacher salaries, holding schools accountable for teaching basic skills and increasing "parental choice in where they educate their children." (Wallis' answer did not elaborate, but that is a phrase often used by supporters of charter schools or school vouchers.)

Holstege listed protecting the environment, saying she would seek to invest in renewable energy projects, and enhancing regional economic development.

Both candidates also mentioned addressing homelessness. However, Wallis said he would support opening more drug and mental health treatment facilities and requiring people to use them and immediately cleaning up homeless camps, while Holstege focused on her desire to secure funds to build affordable housing. 

In the June primary, Holstege received 46.5% of the vote while Wallis earned 36.4%. Overall, Democratic candidates received 53.9% of the vote while Republicans got 46.1%.

Paul Albani-Burgio covers breaking news and the City of Palm Springs. Follow him on Twitter at @albaniburgiop and via email at paul.albani-burgio@desertsun.com.

This article originally appeared on Palm Springs Desert Sun: Election results: Christy Holstege's lead narrows over Greg Wallis for Assembly