By Michael Howard
Photos courtesy of the candidates' campaigns, left to right: Republican Kristie Bruce-Lane and Democrats Darshana Patel and Joseph Rocha
February 17, 2024 (San Diego, CA) – Three candidates in the upcoming March 5 primaries are vying for the open California 76th Assembly seat vacated by Brian Maienschein (D), who announced he was running for the city of San Diego’s City Attorney this election cycle.
A former Republican, Maienschein switched to the Democratic party in 2019 before running against Republican Kristie Bruce-Lane in the 2022 general election for the seat, where he won by a 6% margin, 78,895 votes to Bruce-Lane’s 73,944.
Bruce-Lane will be the sole Republican in the race this year, facing two Democratic candidates, Joseph Rocha and Darshana Patel. All three candidates look to represent a mostly inland North County district with a population of around 471,000.
With 19.9% of precinct’s reporting, Kristie Bruce-Lane received 26,271 votes, and Darshana Patel 17,918. Trailing behind the two top contenders was Democrat Joseph Rocha with 9,877 votes.
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