By admin 
Former Merced Mayor Mike Murphy emerged Tuesday night as the leader in a tight race to replace Assemblymember Esmeralda Soria in the state legislature.
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As of 8:20 p.m. Tuesday, Murphy, a Republican, led Democratic frontrunner Fresno County Supervisor Brian Pacheco with about 34,120 votes counted.
Murphy secured 45.8% of the vote, while Pacheco pulled down 40.9%, according to California Secretary of State records.
Japjeet Singh Uppal, a Livingston Councilmember and Democrat running on a platform of breaking up the two-party political machine, secured 13.3% of the vote.
The seat is currently represented by Esmeralda Soria (D-Fresno), a former Fresno City Councilmember who’s wrapping up her second term representing the 27th district. She is currently a frontrunner in a bid for the 14th State Senate District seat, currently held by Democratic Sen. Anna Caballero.
Murphy a business attorney served as mayor of Merced for two terms from 2016 to 2020. Pacheco, a fourth-generation dairy farmer, is supported by Soria, the current seat-holder.
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The top two candidates will face a runoff in the general elections on November 3.
Where is the district?
The 27th district encompasses parts the western side of Fresno and Madera counties, as well as much of Merced County, including the city of Merced. Other cities and communities within the district include: Biola, Cantua Creek, Caruthers, Coalinga, Firebaugh, Fresno, Huron, Kerman, Mendota, Chowchilla, Madera, Madera Acres, Atwater, Delhi, Dos Palos, Le Grand, Livingston, Los Banos and Planada, among others.
Out of more than 500,000 residents in the majority-Latino district, 238,236 were registered to vote as of early April, according to California Secretary of State data. More than half of the district’s registered voters reside in Merced County.
Of the total registered voters in the district, 39.6%, or 94,350, are Democrat, and 28.91%, or 68,872, are Republican. About 24% of the district voters are No Party Preference voters.
This story was originally published June 2, 2026 at 9:16 PM with the headline “Republican candidate leads the race to represent Merced, Fresno-area assembly district.”
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