Christopher Shoults, a labor union leader and school teacher, is the latest person to announce their run for a state assembly seat vacated by Republican Bill Essayli. Last week, Essayli resigned when he was appointed U.S. attorney for the Central District of California.
Shoults, who is a Democrat, ran against Essayli in last year’s general election for the Assembly District 63 seat and lost. He says this is another opportunity for him to try to flip the seat.
“Assembly District 63 deserves a leader who will focus on the real issues like lowering the cost of living and improving education and making our communities safer and not fueling partisan chaos,” said Shoults. “I'm prepared to work with everyone, Democrat or Republican, to make life better for people of our district.”
Shoults says he’s also focused on supporting veterans, wildfire safety and addressing warehousing.
Natasha Johnson, who is a Republican and current council member in Lake Elsinore, has been endorsed by Essayli and Sheriff Chad Bianco, who’s running for Governor.
“For me, these are continued priorities…holding criminals accountable and strengthening public safety,” said Johnson. “As a working parent and someone who's been elected for quite some time, I think protecting parental rights in education is really important.”
A special election has not yet been announced. Riverside County’s registrar of voters says they’re waiting for Governor Gavin Newsom to set the date.
According to data from California’s Secretary of State, Assembly District 63 has more Republican voters (38% of registered voters) than Democratic voters (34%). The district is home to just over 288,000 registered voters.
The district represents Canyon Lake, Menifee, Norco, Lake Elsinore and portions of Riverside, Corona and Eastvale.
