Assemblyman Takes Lead Against Challenger with Deep Union Support
One-term Assemblyman Bill Essayli, R-Norco, appears poised to retain his 63rd District seat despite a challenge from a Democrat with wide-ranging support from union interests.
Early returns showed the incumbent roughly 10% ahead of Christopher Shoults of Menifee.
Essayli, a former federal and state prosecutor, was first elected in 2022 and has established himself since then as a firebrand on the conservative side. Shoults has cast himself as a moderate Democrat willing to "work with anyone in either party to get things done."
Essayli has stood firm against tax hikes and has been an outspoken advocate for cuts in gasoline taxes, tougher anti-crime measures, controls on illegal immigration and proposals to make lawmakers more accountable, especially when they're caught breaking the law, as in cases of drunken driving.
"Democrats also want to strip away parental rights," he said in a campaign statement. "A high school student under 18 needs their parent's permission to get their ear pierced, but Democrats want them to be able to change their gender without even notifying parents. That is dangerous and wrong. I have led the fight to put parents back in control."
He said putting more Democrats in the state Legislature will only bolster the "one-party rule" that has led to the "tax-and-regulate policies" which have made California an increasingly expensive place to live.
Shoults is originally from Wyoming, where the father of three farmed and taught school before relocating with his family to Riverside County, where he has been an English teacher at the high school and college levels.
"Like many working families, (I've) gained first-hand experience with the issues that impact the most, from rising costs of living and an uncertain economy to health care and education," he said in campaign literature.
He is a union activist and has a string of endorsements from collective bargaining units, among which are the California Teachers Association, the California Labor Federation, United Food & Commercial Workers International Union Local 1167 and Unite Here Local 11.
"I've spent my life either operating and fixing machinery on the farm — or teaching students how to prepare themselves for a bright future in an uncertain time," he said. "That's why I'm fed up with Sacramento politicians, who are more focused on extreme politics or partisan games, instead of results."
The challenger vowed that, if elected, he would prioritize legislation that promotes "good-paying job opportunities, a lower cost of living" and affordable housing.
