The race for California State Senate District 19: Lisa Middleton vs. Rosilicie Ochoa Bogh

California's State Senate District 19 is a newly redrawn district. It includes western Coachella Valley cities like Palm Springs, Palm Desert, La Quinta, and Desert Hot Springs – though does not include east valley cities like Indio and Coachella.

The district also includes Inland Empire cities like Beaumont, Banning, and Redlands, as well as cities in the San Bernardino Mountains like Big Bear.

Senator Rosilicie Ochoa Bogh is the Republican incumbent. She currently represents California State Senate District 23 and was elected in 2020. She is a former schoolteacher and realtor. She also served on the Yucaipa-Calimesa Joint Unified School District board and was the Chairwoman of the Yucaipa Valley Chamber of Commerce.

Lisa Middleton is the Democratic challenger. She is currently serving as a member of Palm Springs' City Council, where she was first elected in 2017. In 2022, she also served as the Mayor of Palm Springs. Before serving Palm Springs, she worked as an auditor for California's State Compensation Insurance Fund. While there, she was the Senior Vice President of Internal Affairs and served as the Chair of California's Fraud Assessment Commission.

Hear from both candidates on key issues on News Channel Three.