Seyarto Leads Carlos In CA State Assembly District 67: Results

MURRIETA, CA — In California's State Assembly District 67, a Democrat has never won the seat since 2010's redistricting. Long-time firefighter Kelly Seyarto (R), who currently serves on the Murrieta City Council, is hoping to continue the trend with a win over career law enforcement officer Jerry Carlos (D-Lake Elsinore).

Election Night vote counting is complete and, although results are not final, Seyarto emerged as the front runner. (See the live tallies below.)

Approximately 400,000 vote-by-mail and 25,000 provisional ballots still must be processed in Riverside County. Work on those began Wednesday morning. Ballots that are postmarked on or before Election Day also remain to be counted. The next updated results will be posted at 6 p.m. Thursday.

See the latest election results below for the 67th Assembly District (refresh for updates):

Carlos was the front runner in the primary contest. He captured 40,112 votes or 35.4 percent of ballots cast, compared to Seyarto who garnered 31,067 votes or 27.4 percent. Three other Republican candidates were on the ticket; they captured just over 42,000 votes between them.

The 67th District seat was vacated following the March 3 presidential primary election when 67th District Assemblywoman Melissa Melendez won her bid, outright, to serve in California’s State Senate District 28.

The 67th Assembly District includes nearly all of Southwest Riverside County, except Temecula and the city’s neighboring unincorporated areas.

A Southern California native, Army veteran, and UC Riverside graduate who married his college sweetheart, Carlos served as a Riverside County sheriff’s deputy out of the Lake Elsinore station. Concurrently, he served in the California National Guard and later in the U.S. Army Reserve as a military policeman. He later formed a police department for Riverside Community College and served as its first leader, according to his campaign bio.

After his retirement from a long law enforcement career, Carlos became a business owner. He and his wife have two daughters.

Among Carlos’ primary concerns in the 67th, according to his campaign website, are the economy, education, the environment, health, police and fire.

Like Carlos, Seyarto is also a SoCal native, having spent his career as a firefighter, retiring in 2015 as a battalion chief.

Seyarto was first elected to the Murrieta City Council in 1997 and served through 2006. He declined to run for reelection in 2006, but did return to the city council in 2016 and served as mayor in 2019.

A public safety advocate who is pro-business, Seyarto supports lower taxes, improved infrastructure, addressing homelessness, and fire prevention, according to his campaign website.

Seyarto holds a Master’s degree in public administration from California State University, Long Beach, and is married with three daughters.

Nearly unseen in American politics, both Carlos and Seyarto conducted respectful campaigns, free of political mudslinging and backstabbing.