OAKLAND, Calif. (KRON) – Mia Bonta has officially won the special election to fill the Assembly District 18 seat.

On Thursday, Bonta declared victory after receiving 56% of the vote — More than 63,000 ballots were counted.

Bonta will be replacing her husband, Rob Bonta.

Here is the statement she released on Thursday:

“I am honored and grateful that you have put your trust in me to represent our community in Sacramento. 

Rob and I chose to build our life here in the East Bay because we knew this community was special. This is a unique pocket of the world where we celebrate our diversity, where we welcome folks of different backgrounds, where folks are free to speak their mind and stand up against injustice. It is that special East Bay spirit that I plan to represent in the Assembly. I am going to Sacramento to build upon that ethos to help our community thrive.

How will we do that? Together, we will build more affordable housing so folks can afford to live here. We will invest in our public schools so our students and teachers can reach their full potential. We will invest in clean energy and environmental justice initiatives to protect our health and ensure our future. We will reform our criminal justice system so that folks are not treated differently based on the color of their skin or the dollar amount in their bank account. Our community is strong, and we have all the leadership and potential to make it stronger and better, and that is what I intend to always strive for in the Assembly. 

This was a people-powered campaign. This victory belongs to every volunteer who gave their time to canvassing, calling, and texting voters to get the word out about the importance of voting in this special election. I want to thank everyone who had a hand in getting us here tonight—you inspire me and you are the reason we are going to see real change here in our community. 

I am ready to go to Sacramento and get to work!”

Mia Bonta

Bonta announced that she was running in April and earned endorsements from the California Legislative Black Caucus and the California Latino Legislative Caucus, as well as Senator Alex Padilla, Congresswoman Barbara Lee, Secretary of State Shirley Weber, Dolores Huerta, Stacey Abrams, dozens of state legislators, and dozens of local East Bay officials.