BAKERSFIELD, CA — Bakersfield Vice Mayor Manpreet Kaur has officially entered the 2026 primary race for California’s 16th State Senate District.
Kaur currently serves as the representative for Ward 7 in south Bakersfield and was elected Vice Mayor in December 2024. In 2022, she became the first woman of Sikh-Punjabi heritage elected to the Bakersfield City Council. According to a report by Bakersfield Now, Kaur decided to enter the race after community members encouraged her to seek a higher office.
The 16th Senate District covers parts of four counties: Kern, Fresno, Kings, and Tulare. Kaur’s announcement sets up a challenge against the current senator, Democrat Melissa Hurtado. Hurtado is serving her second term, and state law allows her to serve one more four-year term in the State Senate.
The race for the District 16 seat was extremely close in 2022. In that election, Hurtado won the seat by a margin of 22 votes over Republican challenger David Shepard. In 2024, Hurtado ran for a seat in Congress but lost the primary election to Representative David Valadao.
Hurtado said her main focus in the Senate has been bringing money and projects to the area. She noted that she has secured nearly $1 billion for the district during her seven years in office.
Voters across the four counties will make their decision in the 2026 elections.
