Laura Bassett

Candidate for State Senate District 38

Laura Bassett is the Republican candidate for California State Senate District 38. The election is November 3, 2026. She is running against incumbent Democratic Sen. Catherine Blakespear. Bassett has lived her whole life in Oceanside, in San Diego County. She holds an accounting degree from the University of Southern California. She worked in accounting at first. She later moved into marketing and sales in the Los Angeles area. She has also worked with the Burbank and Oceanside Chambers of Commerce. She has volunteered with Oceanside's Star Theatre. She and her husband raised six children in Oceanside. Her mother, Colleen O'Harra, served on the Oceanside City Council in the 1990s. Bassett says that experience helped draw her toward public service. In 2020, Bassett ran for Oceanside City Clerk but lost. She advanced to the November 2026 general election after finishing second in the June 2, 2026 primary for SD-38. She got 45.3% of the vote there, to Blakespear's 54.7%. That is per the California Secretary of State's certified vote count. Age: Not confirmed. Home: Oceanside, California, in San Diego County. Occupation: Her background is in accounting and marketing and sales. She has been active with local chambers of commerce. Her current day job is not independently confirmed. Prior office: None held. She lost a 2020 run for Oceanside City Clerk.

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