California Attorney General Rob Bonta waves during a campaign event ahead of the Nov. 3 midterms on Sunday, Nov. 1, 2026, in the Hollywood section of Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Jill Connelly)
LOS ANGELES – Filipino Americans emerged among the notable winners in California’s
midterm elections Tuesday, with Democrat Rob Bonta securing a second term as state attorney
general and fellow Democrats Mark Pulido and Jessica Caloza leading in their respective
Assembly races.
Their electoral success marks an important moment for Filipino American representation in
California politics, with the candidates poised to further strengthen the community’s presence in state government.
The Associated Press projected Bonta as the winner of the attorney general’s race Tuesday. As of 11:14 p.m., Bonta had received 4,330,991 votes, or 64.4%, defeating Republican challenger
Michael Gates, who garnered 2,397,321 votes, or 35.6%.
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Mark Pulido
Meanwhile, Pulido, Cerritos’ mayor pro tempore, is leading the race for the 67th Assembly
District with 48,298 votes, or 63.2%, against Republican Paulo Morales, who received 28,156
votes, or 36.8%. As of 10:55 pm, 50% of the votes had been counted, according to Associated
Press.
Pulido returned to the Cerritos City Council in 2025 after previously serving from 2011 to 2020.
He was the first Filipino American elected to the council and the first Filipino American to serve
as the city’s mayor, holding the position in 2014–15 and 2018–19.
Jessica Caloza
In the 52nd Assembly District, incumbent Jessica Caloza is the projected winner with 57 percent of the votes counted. As of 10:55 pm, Caloza held a commanding lead with 71,529 votes, or 86.9%, against Republican Andrea Lee Anderson, who received 10,773 votes, or 13.1%.
Rob Bonta, Jessica Caloza, Mark Pulido | Photos from State of California Dept. of Justice, Asmdc.org, cerritos.gov
Caloza has represented the district since December 2024 and serves as assistant majority whip in the Assembly. She made history as the first Filipina elected to the California State Legislature.
Historic tenure
Bonta’s re-election extends his historic tenure as California’s first attorney general of Filipino
descent. Gov. Gavin Newsom appointed him to the position in 2021, succeeding Xavier Becerra,
who left the post to become U.S. secretary of Health and Human Services. Bonta was sworn in
on April 23, 2021.
He won his first full four-year term in 2022 after serving in the state Assembly from 2012 to
2021, becoming the first Filipino American elected to the California Legislature.
Born in Quezon City, Philippines, on Sept. 22, 1971, Bonta immigrated to California with his
family as an infant. He graduated cum laude from Yale University in 1993 with a bachelor’s
degree in history, studied politics, philosophy and economics at the University of Oxford for a
year, and earned his law degree from Yale Law School in 1998.
Before joining the Legislature, Bonta served on the Alameda City Council from 2010 to 2012
and chaired the California Asian & Pacific Islander Legislative Caucus.
During his tenure as attorney general, Bonta has pursued legal challenges involving federal
authority, election administration, consumer protection and alleged fraud.
He has challenged a US Department of Justice lawsuit seeking California voter-registration
records, criticizing the litigation and stating that there is no evidence of widespread noncitizen
voting. The dispute concerns voter-registration records; the allegations do not establish that
anyone cast an unlawful ballot.
On Oct. 23, Bonta’s office welcomed a Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals ruling upholding a lower-
court order blocking the Trump administration’s federalization and deployment of California
National Guard troops in and around Los Angeles. The appeals court affirmed that the
administration had exceeded its legal authority.
The electoral success of Bonta, Pulido and Caloza highlights the presence of Filipino Americans
in California politics and marks significant milestones for a community seeking greater
representation and participation in public leadership.
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