Openly gay Republican Carl DeMaio reelected to California State Assembly

Republican Carl DeMaio, who is openly gay, retained his seat in the California State Assembly, the lower house of the state legislature, in the November 3, 2026 election. The Bay Area Reporter reported that he won a second two-year term representing District 75.

In the San Diego County elections office’s preliminary count as of November 6, DeMaio had 82,060 votes (55.61%). His Democratic challenger, Gerald Boursiquot, had 65,514 (44.39%).

DeMaio served on the San Diego City Council from 2008 to 2012, according to his official biography. In 2024 he became the first openly gay Republican elected to the California Legislature. The Bay Area Reporter says he is not a member of the state’s Legislative LGBTQ Caucus.

Urania previously covered the campaign of openly gay Republican Todd Novak, who also sought another term in his state’s lower house, the Wisconsin State Assembly.