Unknown Democrat Gina Rodriguez has declared she is running for the Assembly seat currently held by Jean Fuller. Fuller is leaning toward a run for Roy Ashburn's 18th Senate seat leaving as the clear front-runner CRA President and current Kern High School District Trustee Ken Mettler.

Confusing the race in an apparent effort to benefit a weak candidate, local consultant Mark Abernathy appears to be both running psychologist Dean Haddock's campaign while "encouraging" an unknown Taft College professor to run as well.