AANHPI candidates flex their muscle in California primaries

AANHPI voters are starting to assert themselves politically.

If anyone is still clinging to the outdated myth that Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders are politically quiet, the June 2 California primary results should cause them to rethink that misconception. From historic statewide defenses to high-stakes intra-party showdowns and redistricting dogfights, AANHPI candidates didn't just show up to the ballot — they dominated.

Because of the Golden State's top-two primary system, the top vote-getters advance to November regardless of party line. In many of the races, especially those for statewide offices or Congress, Donald Trump was the reason most of the Republicans lagged behind against their Democratic rivals.

For AANHPI communities, the November results could be historic with 30 AANHPI candidates vying for political elected offices. California is seeing record-breaking representation of Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander (AANHPI) candidates running for office, with nearly 500 AANHPI individuals seeking state and local positions, according to NBC.

Following are the results for AANHPI seeking state and federal offices as of Jan. 25 with about 99% of the votes counted. 

The statewide standard: Bonta holds the line

Rob Bonta, who already made history as California’s first Filipino American Attorney General, cruised smoothly through his primary with 56% of the vote. The Democratic incumbent is locked, loaded, and heading to November, where he will face off against Republican challenger Michael Gates, the former Huntington Beach City Attorney. During his time in office, Bonta has pumped up his progressive record with 55 lawsuits against the Trump regime.

Democrat Fiona Ma , with a resume as a former Assemblymember and member of the Board of Equalization, will run for Lt Governor against  Republican Glorea Romero in the contest for Treasurer.  Each of the top two vote-getters won 19% and 18% of the vote, respectively.

Former San Francisco Supervisor Jane Kim, a Democrat, successfully advanced in her competitive open-seat bid for Insurance Commissioner. In November, she'll have a tight contest as she faces another Democrat, state Sen. Ben Allen who received about 20% to Kim's 27%.

In the races for Congress and the state legislature, there will be 27 AANHPI candidates. 

Capitol Hill bound

The fight for Washington ran right through AAPI strongholds, serving up both predictable dominance and a few fascinating intra-community face-offs. 

• The new frontier (Ami Bera - CA-03): Also navigating the post-Proposition 50 redistricting map, Democratic Rep. Ami Bera shifted over to the newly drawn 3rd District and comfortably punched his ticket to the general election with 34.3% of the vote. He will battle Republican Robb Tucker with 29.9%.

• Democrats seek to turn district (Michael Matsuda - CA-05) Democrat Michael Matsuda , who won 24.3% pf the vote, will have a rough road ahead in unseating  incumbent Rep. Tom McClintock (R-Modesto), who ed with 61.3% of the votes.

• The Sacramento Comeback (Dr. Richard Pan - CA-06): Former Democratic State Senator Dr. Richard Pan emerged with 23.2% of the vote from a brutal, highly competitive primary in the Sacramento area. He’s heading into a  November matchup against Independent incumbent (former Republican) Representative Kevin Kiley, who wound up with 24.4% of the ballots. 

• Progressive vs. veteran (Doris Matsui vs. Mai Vang - CA-07): Talk about a fascinating dynamic. In a heavily watched, intra-party Democratic clash in the Sacramento area, long-time progressive champion Doris Matsui and powerhouse Sacramento City Councilmember Mai Vang both advanced out of the primary with Vang eking out 32.2% of the vote versus Mtsui's 29.1%. This sets up a captivating November showdown between an iconic veteran of the Hill and a surging voice representing the community's next generation.

• The Pelosi Open Seat (Connie Chan - CA-11): In the hyper-visible race to fill the massive shoes of retiring Speaker Emeritus Nancy Pelosi, San Francisco Supervisor Connie Chan secured her spot in the finals, grabbing 30.0% of the vote to set up a heavyweight bout against State Senator Scott Wiener, who won 41% of the ballots.

• Indian Americans face off (Ro Khanna vs. Ritesh Tandon - CA-17) No one can deny the presence and influence of South Asians in Silicon Valley. Incumbent Khanna garnered 62.3% . He will face Republican tech entrepreneur Tandon who received 14.8%. A third candidate, Republican Jennie Phan won 10.7%. 

• Republican stays strong (Rep. Vince Fong - CA-20) Republican  Fong had a comfortable lead with 68.2% of the votes, followed by Democrat Sandra Van Scotter, a healthcare worker, with 28.8%. 

• The Trailblazer (Judy Chu - CA-28): Rep. Judy Chu, the chair emeritus of the Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus (CAPAC), reminded everyone why she’s a powerhouse. Chu locked down a commanding 62.2% of the vote over 32% of the vote for Republican April Verlato in her San Gabriel Valley district, entering the fall as a massive favorite.

• West L.A. a Democratic stronghold (Rep. Ted Lieu - CA-36) The Democratic incumbent garnerd 61% of the vote followed by Republican Houston Brignano, a technology executive, with 15.3% of the ballots.

• History in the making (State Sen. Aisha Wahab  - CA-14) The Democrat seeks to be the first Afghan American woman elected to public office in the US, led with 59%, followed by Democrat Melissa Hernandez, with 17.2% of the vote. Republican Wendy Huang ended up with  13.2%. This is the district occupied by incumbent Eric Swalwell who opted to run for Governor butl ultimately left the race amid sexual misconduct allegations.

• Voters favor incumbent (Rep. Mark Takano CA-39) The incumbent had the lead over Republican challenger Steve Manos, a member of the Lake Elsinore City Council, 60% to 40%.

• The resilient Incumbent (Young Kim - CA-40): On the other side of the aisle, as a result of California's redrawn districts, Republican Rep. Kim, formerly representing the 39th district, will face a tough race against another Republican, Ken Calvert, who moved from district 41. In the primary, Calvert won 35% vs. Kim's 21%.

• Vietnamese voters have a say (Rep. Derek Tran,D, (CA-45) District 45 is mostly in Orange County and part of the San Gabriel Valley, is home for Little Saigon. Five of the six candidates were Vietnamese Americans. incumbent Rep. Derek Tran, a Democrat, was on top with 53.8%, followed by Republican Chuong Vo, former Cerritos mayor with 30%. 

• Upset sought. (David Pan - CA-46) Republican Pan had only 33.2% in his challenge against Democratic incumbent Rep. Lou Correa who had 51.8% in a district with where 65% of the population is Latino and Asians make up 15%.

• Democrat fends off conservative (Rep. Dave Min - CA-47) In 2024 Democrat Min was able wrest the district from Republicans in conservative Orange County garnered 45.3% of the vote over Republican business owner and DOGE fan Jenny Rae La Roux, with 25.1%.

UC BERKELEY

Attorney General Rob Bonta leads a record number of AANHPI candidates in California.

State Senate & Assembly

The momentum carries all the way down to the state legislature, where the bench of future AAPI leadership is growing deeper by the day.

• Scott Sakakihara (SD-10): In an absolute masterclass of grassroots momentum, the Union City Councilmember self-funded his way to a first-place finish in this East Bay/Santa Clara district. He goes into November against Republican Linda Price as the heavy favorite to claim the seat.

• Dan T. Tran (AD-45): Tran is the Republican challenger who won 34.8% of the votes. He will go against incumbent, Democrat Rep. Blanco Rubio who led all candidates with 65.2% of the ballots cast.

• Rep. Mike Fong vs. Long David Liu (AD-49):Two Chinese Americans will campaign for the conservative-leaning district represented by Democratic Rep. Mike Fong with 58.2% who is being challenged by Republican Long David Liu who won 38.7% of the vote.

• Jessica Caloza (AD-52): The powerhouse Filipino American Assemblymember glided effortlessly through her Los Angeles primary with an almost insurmountable 85.5% of the vote, setting up a fall showdown with Andrea Lee Anderson, who wound up with 14.2%.

• Phillip Chen (AD-59): The incumbent Republican Assemblyman took care of business in his primary winning 65% of the votes. He will defend his seat against Green Party challenger Victor Hernandez with 33.7% of the votes.

• Fatima Iqbal-Zubair (AD-65): Backed by a powerful progressive coalition including AAPI Force, Iqbal-Zubair successfully cleared the primary hurdle and is ready to bring the heat to her Los Angeles-based Assembly district this fall.

• Tri Ta (AD-70) The Vietnamese American incumbent, Republican Tri Ta with 53.2% of the ballots will face strong opposition by Democrtic challenger Paula Swift who was able to win 46.2% of the vote.

• Darshana Patel (AD-76). The incumbent Indian American Democrat is facing strong opposition from Republican Carrie S. Espinoza Villanueva, who was able to win 44.2% of the vote in the conservative district, home of Camp Pendleton.

View from the edge

According to recent data from the Public Policy Institute of California, California is home to an estimated 7.2 to 7.5 million AANHPI residents, or about a third of all AANHPI in the US.. To put that into perspective, that is roughly 15.5% to 17.5% of the state’s entire population.

If you want to see where the future of local politics and representation is being written, look at the regional concentrations. In Orange County, AANHPIs make up a quarter of the population. Up north in Santa Clara County — the heart of Silicon Valley — that number skyrockets to a massive 36%.

For years, mainstream media and political strategists treated the AANHPI communities as an afterthought or a "swing" variable. But with over 40 distinct ethnicities spanning language, culture, and history, these numbers prove that in California, we are the baseline.

As we look toward upcoming election cycles and the ongoing fight for authentic cultural representation in media, education, executive boardrooms and the halls of government, California's data shows we aren't just waiting to be heard anymore. We're driving the conversation.

California's political landscape is shifting, and our community is driving the change. County election offices have until July 10, 2026, to officially certify these tallies, but the message is already loud and clear: November is going to be historic. Keep your eyes on the prize, folks.

EDITOR'S NOTE: For additional commentary, news, views and chismis from an AANHPI perspective, follow me on Threads, on X, BlueSky or at the blog Views From the Edge. If you find this perspective interesting, please repost.