← Election Series · State Legislature coverage · California districts
No endorsement · Lean Seo
The race
One Assembly seat is at stake. The seat is open. Incumbent Al Muratsuchi (D) is not on the general ballot — Incumbent did not file for re-election (Ballotpedia retiring incumbents list). Both general-election candidates advanced under California's top-two primary. California uses a top-two primary: the two highest finishers advance to the general election regardless of party, which is why some districts below show two candidates of the same party and no candidate of the other. The confirmed general-election roster, per Ballotpedia — California State Assembly elections, 2026 (roster strength: compilation (Ballotpedia)), is: Sara Deen (D); Paul Seo (D). No district partisan baseline is printed because none was verified at this sourcing depth — we do not invent one.
Competitiveness and record notes, sourced: this is an open seat and a Democrat-vs.-Democrat general election. IVN reports Rancho Palos Verdes Mayor Paul Seo led the June primary with 26.6 percent and Sara Deen took 24.6 percent. IVN further reports that California DSA recommends Deen — and that Deen asked DSA-LA to remove the recommendation, saying it misrepresented her values; that on-the-record rejection of the socialist recommendation is printed here as documented fact. Deen is a dentist and president of the Palos Verdes Peninsula Unified School District board; Seo is a deputy state attorney general, an Army veteran, and a former Los Angeles County prosecutor, backed by the Los Angeles County Federation of Labor and several law enforcement associations (IVN). Democrats hold 43 percent of registration and Republicans 27 percent in the district (IVN).
The candidates, claim by claim
Sara Deen (D) — former incumbent's seat is open; this candidate is a general-election nominee, on the confirmed general ballot per Ballotpedia — California State Assembly elections, 2026.
Pros: Offers voters the Democratic program in this district and, where an incumbent, a record of service in the seat. Cons: No documented break with the Democratic Party toward this publication's values was located — no Manchin-test break. A reliable party-line vote advances a program we oppose. The flaw, plainly: Enabler class, not extremist — a reliable party-line vote, which is the standing reason the exception for a Democrat is not earned here.
Paul Seo (D) — former incumbent's seat is open; this candidate is a general-election nominee, on the confirmed general ballot per Ballotpedia — California State Assembly elections, 2026.
Pros: Offers voters the Democratic program in this district and, where an incumbent, a record of service in the seat. Cons: No documented break with the Democratic Party toward this publication's values was located — no Manchin-test break. A reliable party-line vote advances a program we oppose. The flaw, plainly: Enabler class, not extremist — a reliable party-line vote, which is the standing reason the exception for a Democrat is not earned here.
OUR CALL
No endorsement — lean Paul Seo. Both candidates are Democrats and neither shows a Manchin-test break, so there is no endorsement. Seo brings a prosecutor's and veteran's record backed by law-enforcement associations; Deen, to her credit, publicly rejected the DSA recommendation as misrepresenting her values — a fact we print — but her remaining file at this sourcing depth is thinner. The lean goes to Seo.
For the complete Election 2026 breakdown — every race, claim by claim — see the full coverage on our website.
Vote early. Research your candidates. Choose the best moderates, whatever their party — no extremism from either side. And encourage your friends and family to do the same.
Sources
- Ballotpedia — California State Assembly elections, 2026 — general-election roster, incumbency, and open-seat status (roster strength: compilation (Ballotpedia)) — https://ballotpedia.org/California_State_Assembly_elections,_2026
- IVN, "15 Races Where Democratic Socialists Can Reshape California Politics" (Oct. 8, 2026) — Assembly District 66 primary shares, Deen's rejection of the DSA recommendation, Seo record — https://ivn.us/15-races-where-democratic-socialists-can-reshape-california-politics/
- Ballotpedia, Annual State Legislative Competitiveness Report, Vol. 16, 2026 — California 2026: 88 of 100 seats contested by both major parties; Senate competitiveness index 32.8, Assembly 17.9 — https://ballotpedia.org/Annual_State_Legislative_Competitiveness_Report:_Vol._16,_2026
- Record gaps: no detailed legislative voting record, biography beyond the roster and the notes sourced above, campaign-finance figures, or district partisan baseline were verified for the candidates in this district at this sourcing depth; no California Secretary of State certified general list in usable form was located (see research file), so the roster stands at compilation strength
- Standing check: no pedophile-association material meeting the proven standard (knowing association with or defense of a convicted pedophile) was located for any candidate on this ballot
Result pending. No verified call (Associated Press or official) as of November 4, 2026. This page will be updated when the race is called or certified. The original article above is unchanged.
AI-assisted article — but the sources are human, and the facts are very real.
← All California state-legislative districts · Full state-legislative enumeration