By admin 
Democratic incumbent Stephanie Nguyen will face Republican challenger Vinaya Singh for the second time in this year’s race to represent California’s 10th Assembly district.
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The district, which encompasses Elk Grove and parts of Sacramento, is consistently Democratic. In this year’s June primary election and the 2024 general election, Nguyen won roughly two-thirds of the vote to Singh’s one-third.
Nguyen has represented the district since 2022, when she narrowly defeated Democrat Eric Guerra to win the seat. Nguyen, a former executive director of a Sacramento-area nonprofit, has faced opposition solely from Singh, a retired scientist and IT specialist, in her bid for a third term in the Assembly.
Where is the district?
The 10th Assembly District is within Sacramento County. It includes Elk Grove, the Pocket and parts of south Sacramento.
The district is demographically diverse — 2020 census data shows it is roughly 27% Hispanic or Latino, 12% African American or Black, 29% Asian and 22% White. The district’s median household income is about $93,800.
The area is staunchly Democratic; 2024 data shows that over 50% of the district’s are Democrats, while only about 19% are Republicans.
Who are the candidates?
Nguyen, the daughter of Vietnamese refugees, has lived in Sacramento nearly all her life. Nguyen grew up and attended school in the region before earning her Bachelor’s degree at Sacramento State University, according to her campaign website.
Nguyen has said one of her priorities in office is to protect and expand services for low-income, immigrant, formerly incarcerated and other vulnerable populations. Until 2022, Nguyen worked as the executive director of Asian Resources, Inc., a Sacramento-area nonprofit that provides social services like employment support, financial literacy training and English classes to immigrants and other communities in need.
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Prior to serving in the Assembly, Nguyen was a city council member and vice mayor for the city of Elk Grove. According to Nguyen’s website, she used her experience in business and finance to help support economic stability while serving in the role, and led a citywide rental assistance program to prevent widespread evictions during the COVID-19 pandemic.
In her second term, Nguyen sat on the Assembly committees on Business and Professions, Public Employment and Retirement, Governmental Organization, Insurance and Public Safety. She was also the vice chair for the Asian American and Pacific Islander Caucus. In the past year, she has secured funds totaling $30 million for Special Olympics California and $60 million for California Food Banks.
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In June, Gov. Gavin Newsom signed Nguyen’s bill expanding courts’ ability to deny mental health diversion to criminal defendants. The legislation was celebrated by many as a win for public safety.
Singh grew up in a small village in rural India. After graduating from college, Singh worked as a scientist for the Indian Space Research Organization, according to his campaign website.
Singh moved to the U.S. in 1999 and became a citizen in 2016 after completing his Ph.D. in management. Singh worked as an information technology specialist for several American companies before retiring and launching his campaign for the Legislature.
On his campaign website, Singh says his primary goals are to reduce the “influence of wealthy special interests” and reduce homelessness, crime and inflation. One of his stated priorities in office is to increase the transparency of political campaign donations.
“The burning issues of California, such as corrupt democracy, homelessness, crime, inflation and our deteriorating education system can only be solved if we take special interests out of the equation and focus on the root cause of each problem,” his website reads.
Who is funding the race?
By June, Nguyen had received roughly $770,700 in campaign contributions and her campaign expenditures totaled more than $1,082,300.
Nguyen had more than half a million dollars of cash on hand, which came from a variety of donors. Among Nguyen’s largest supporters were corporate political action committees, automotive and energy companies, retail firms and individual donors. According to data from the California Secretary of State’s Office, California-based lawyer Ahn Phoong gave two donations, each totaling the maximum contribution amount of $5,900 — making her among Nguyen’s largest donors.
Nguyen has received endorsements from statewide and local officials including Lt. Gov. Eleni Kounalakis, U.S. Rep. Ami Bera and Elk Grove Mayor Bobbie Singh-Allen. The Democratic Party of California, the California Teachers Association and the International Union of Operating Engineers have endorsed Nguyen’s campaign for reelection.
Singh is not accepting donations or endorsements because he says those contributions come with expectations that compromise one’s political motivations.
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