Temecula Mayor Matt Rahn Edges Closer To State Assembly Seat

Temecula CA

08 June, 2022

2:52 PM

Description

TEMECULA, CA — As primary ballots continue to be tallied Wednesday in Riverside County, Temecula Mayor Matt Rahn is getting closer to securing an outright victory in the race for the 71st District State Assembly seat. The Republican was leading GOP challenger Kate Sanchez by just over a thousand votes as of Wednesday night's count in Riverside County. The current lead gives Rahn 52.89 percent of the vote compared to Sanchez's 47.09 percent. The two were the only contenders in the race. Although Rahn is close to garnering a majority (50 percent plus one point), California's Top Two Candidates Open Primary Act will still require him to move on to the ballot in the November 8 general election. Approximately 136,000 vote-by-mail and 2,000 provisional ballots still must be processed in Riverside County. Ballots that are postmarked on or before Election Day also remain to be counted, according to the registrar. The newly redrawn 71st District encompasses Mission Viejo, Murrieta, Rancho Santa Margarita, Temecula, and Wildomar, as well as nearby rural parts of Orange and Riverside counties. In Orange County, ballot tallies continue. Rahn was leading Sanchez Wednesday night with 51.86 percent of the vote. Rahn was first elected to the Temecula City Council in 2014. He is currently serving his second stint as mayor. He holds a Ph.D. and a law degree, and has more than 20 years of experience in higher education and university research, and as a wildfire, public health, land use, energy, and policy professional, according to his bio on the city's website. Rahn's work in Temecula started in 2000, and in 2005 he began representing San Diego State University in alliance with the city of Temecula in the seven-year battle over the Liberty Quarry project. He's also been a leader on the I-15 Regional Task Force, which has helped bring about the French Valley Parkway project. His current term on the Temecula City Council expires at the end of the year.