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Avelino Valencia launches 2026 bid for state Senate seat

December 12, 2024

Avelino Valencia, who just started his second term in the Assembly, is eyeing a move to the other side of the Capitol.

With the 2024 election all but over, the Anaheim Democrat is looking ahead to 2026, launching a bid for the 34th state Senate district on Thursday, Dec., 12, his campaign first shared with the Southern California News Group. The seat is represented by Sen. Tom Umberg, D-Santa Ana, who cannot run again due to term limits.

“This district is where I was born and raised, where I met my wife, where I coached student athletes, where I served as a city council member and Assemblymember and where I’ll always call home,” Valencia said in a statement.

“As a public servant, I have had the chance to make a difference in the lives of my neighbors,” he continued. “I am running for state Senate because I know it will provide an even greater opportunity to deliver results for our community. I’ll work hard every day to improve schools, build housing, reduce costs and empower working familes.”

Valencia, a former Anaheim council member, was first elected in 2022 to the Assembly, where he has served on the Joint Legislative Budget Committee as well as the Arts, Entertainment, Sports and Tourism; Governmental Organization; Insurance; Military and Veterans Affairs committees.

In the legislature, he has advocated for independent local redistricting and transparency in municipal government. He has also championed legislation to increase transparency in alcohol and drug programs and prevent gun violence.

The son of immigrants and a first-generation college graduate, Valencia has described himself as a “pragmatic progressive who listens and finds common ground.” He was a district director for former Assemblymember Tom Daly, a former Fullerton College football coach and was the first millennial to represent Orange County in the legislature, his campaign said in 2022.

SD-34 spans Los Angeles and Orange counties, centering on Anaheim but including communities in Buena Park, Fullerton, La Habra and Santa Ana.

It’s a fairly blue district. Democrats make up 46.75% of registered voters in SD-34, according to the secretary of state’s latest report on Oct. 21, while Republicans account for 24.02% and no party preference 22.36%.

Avelino, in the election held last month, cruised to victory in his re-election bid for the 68th Assembly district seat, besting Republican businessman Mike Tardif with 63.7% of the vote. (The secretary of state will certify the election results by Friday, Dec. 13.)

Umberg, who chairs the Senate’s Judiciary Committee, joined the upper chamber in 2018 after multiple stints in the Assembly.

Orange County Register

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Avelino Valencia launches 2026 bid for state Senate seat

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