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# Independents Will Decide Wallis vs. Namvar in California's Desert Battleground
- URL: https://ivn.us/independents-will-decide-wallis-vs-namvar-in-californias-desert-battleground/
- Published: 2026-10-13T20:42:17.000Z
- Updated: 2026-10-13T20:54:09.000Z
- Description: A Republican who breaks with his party more often than any other legislator faces a labor-backed progressive Democrat in one of California's closest Assembly districts.
- Author: Cara Brown McCormick
- Tags: California 2026, Campaigns, California

Greg Wallis has never won Assembly District 47 by much, and Democrats are betting 2026 is the year his narrow margins run out. But this year they are running a candidate backed by the California Democratic Socialists of America. With nearly one in five voters registered No Party Preference, independents are once again positioned to decide who holds one of California's most competitive Assembly seats.

On November 3, voters in the district, which stretches from Palm Springs and the Coachella Valley to Yucca Valley, Banning, and Yucaipa, will choose between Wallis, a Republican seeking a third term, and Democrat Leila Namvar, a City of Indio planner and former SEIU chapter president. Wallis led the June primary, but the two Democrats on the ballot together drew more votes than he did.

> [ View this post on Instagram ](https://www.instagram.com/reel/Dd-GtCJCL3D/?utm%5Fsource=ig%5Fembed&utm%5Fcampaign=loading)
> 
> [A post shared by Greg Wallis (@gregwallisforassembly)](https://www.instagram.com/reel/Dd-GtCJCL3D/?utm%5Fsource=ig%5Fembed&utm%5Fcampaign=loading)

## **The June Primary**

Wallis finished first in the June 2 Top Two primary with 68,831 votes, or 48.13%, according to the California Secretary of State. Namvar placed second with 46,256 votes (32.35%). Fellow Democrat Jason Byors, a Cathedral City software engineer who had first filed to run for Congress against Rep. Ken Calvert, finished third with 27,915 votes (19.52%). Turnout was 42.73%, with 143,002 ballots cast.

Together, Namvar and Byors took 51.87% of the vote. Wallis, meanwhile, ran nearly 15 points ahead of the Republican share of registered voters. 

> [ View this post on Instagram ](https://www.instagram.com/reel/DXfTVCRknGs/?utm%5Fsource=ig%5Fembed&utm%5Fcampaign=loading)

The Wallis campaign says it has seen these numbers before. Duane Dichiara, a strategist working with Wallis, told the Riverside Press-Enterprise by email that Democrats usually outpoll Wallis in the primary, "and Greg wins in November with the more moderate coalition of Democrats, Independents and Republicans who turn out in that election."

## **A District That Refuses to Pick a Side**

As of September 4, 2026, Assembly District 47 had 334,683 registered voters. Democrats accounted for 129,832 (38.79%), Republicans for 111,192 (33.22%), and No Party Preference voters for 65,315 (19.52%), with the rest registered with minor parties. Democrats hold a 5.57-point registration edge, but they also held the advantage in 2022 and 2024, and Wallis won both years.

The Target Book describes a district whose politics range from conservative-leaning Yucaipa, Calimesa, and the Redlands area to solidly Democratic Palm Springs and Cathedral City. At the statewide level, it has swung between the parties. Joe Biden carried the district by 6.56% in 2020, and Kamala Harris won it by 4% in 2024\. Adam Schiff carried it by just 1% in the 2024 U.S. Senate race. Governor Gavin Newsom lost it narrowly in 2018 but won it by 2% in 2022.

Wallis first won the seat in [2022](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q0851evE2so&ref=ivn.us), defeating Democrat Christy Holstege, then a Palm Springs City Councilmember, by 85 votes, a margin of less than one-tenth of a percentage point ([Idyllwild Town Crier](https://idyllwildtowncrier.com/2024/10/02/holstege-expects-second-time-is-charm/?ref=ivn.us)).[ ](https://www.desertsun.com/story/news/politics/elections/2022/12/08/wallis-declares-victory-in-ad-47-race-holstege-weighing-recount-request/69712433007/?ref=ivn.us)[The Desert Sun](https://www.desertsun.com/story/news/politics/elections/2022/12/08/wallis-declares-victory-in-ad-47-race-holstege-weighing-recount-request/69712433007/?ref=ivn.us) called it the tightest Assembly contest in decades, and the Target Book noted that Wallis was the only Republican that year to win a legislative district Newsom carried. In their 2024 rematch, Wallis won by 5,534 votes, or 2.4 percentage points, taking about 51% of the vote. Turnout that November reached 72%.

### **From the Coachella Valley to the High Desert**

The district stretches across Riverside and San Bernardino Counties, encompassing the cities of Banning, Beaumont, Calimesa, Cathedral City, Desert Hot Springs, Indian Wells, La Quinta, Yucaipa, Palm Springs, Palm Desert, Rancho Mirage, and the town of Yucca Valley, along with portions of Redlands, Highland, and San Jacinto. It also climbs into the San Jacinto Mountains, including Idyllwild.

[Assemblymember Greg Wallis on Instagram: “Earth Day looks a little different in the 47th Assembly District. We’re surrounded by landscapes that have shaped this region for thousands of years. That history and character don’t happen by accident, and they aren’t guaranteed. That’s why protecting places like Chuckwalla National Monument matters. Taking care of this land means it’s still here for the people who come after us. That’s what Earth Day 2026 means out here.”28 likes, 1 comments - asmgregwallis on April 22, 2026: “Earth Day looks a little different in the 47th Assembly District. We’re surrounded by landscapes that have shaped this region for thousands of years. That history and character don’t happen by accident, and they aren’t guaranteed. That’s why protecting places like Chuckwalla National Monument matters. Taking care of this land means it’s still here for the people who come after us. That’s what Earth Day 2026 means out here.”.![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/dc/be/dcbe1ac4-146f-43be-92a6-ea84728d86a6/content/images/icon/rzWiSjZRxk5-32acffd7-d875-4f10-9c2a-840e7d08652f.webp)Instagram![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/dc/be/dcbe1ac4-146f-43be-92a6-ea84728d86a6/content/images/thumbnail/671183107_17946580038146037_5514139606675314608_n-98d7c304-f466-404d-be6e-3bd0079cea9b.jpg)](https://www.instagram.com/reels/DXchHdKjOWc/?ref=ivn.us)

A significant portion of the district lies within the Coachella Valley, where tourism, housing affordability, infrastructure strain, and seasonal population swings shape local politics.

Palm Springs remains internationally associated with mid-century modern architecture, including Twin Palms (also known as the Frank Sinatra House), designed by E. Stewart Williams in the Movie Colony East neighborhood.

To the east, Joshua Tree National Park anchors the district's environmental and cultural identity. Pasadena resident Minerva Hoyt first protected the area through advocacy; it became a national monument in 1936 and was elevated to national park status in 1994\. Today, the park spans more than 790,000 acres, protects hundreds of archaeological and historic sites, and supports a tourism economy critical to surrounding communities.

### **Demographics, Housing, and Cost of Living**

According to the 2023 American Community Survey, Assembly District 47 has a population of 523,318\. The district is 48.5% White, 39.3% Latino, 3.8% Black, and 4.4% Asian. About 16.9% of residents are foreign-born, and 7.2% are non-citizens. The citizen voting-age population is 72.6%.

Economic indicators reflect both growth and strain. The median household income is $78,451, with a mean household income of $114,772 and a per capita income of $45,665\. Approximately 12.8% of residents live below the poverty line. About 6.5% lack health insurance, and 11.6% receive food assistance.

Housing is predominantly owner-occupied at 70.7%, while 29.3% of homes are renter-occupied. The median home value is $450,800, and the median monthly rent is $1,542.

The district has 29,537 civilian veterans, representing 7.1% of the population.

## **Greg Wallis: Moderate Republican**

[Republican Greg Wallis](https://www.gregwallis.org/?ref=ivn.us), born May 15, 1990, is a third-generation Californian who lives in Bermuda Dunes. Before his election, he served as district director for Assemblymember Chad Mayes beginning in 2014.

Earlier in his career, he managed Brian Nestande's unsuccessful congressional campaign and served as executive director of the Inland Empire Taxpayers Association, according to public records and his[ ](https://www.linkedin.com/in/gregory-wallis-75211846/?ref=ivn.us)[LinkedIn profile](https://www.linkedin.com/in/gregory-wallis-75211846/?ref=ivn.us).

### **A Record of Crossing the Aisle**

Wallis is considered[ ](https://calmatters.org/legislator-tracker/greg-wallis-1990/?ref=ivn.us)[one of the state's most moderate Republicans](https://calmatters.org/legislator-tracker/greg-wallis-1990/?ref=ivn.us), and CalMatters' legislator tracker classifies him as "Moderate Right." Yet he holds a district where a traditional political lens would hand the seat to Democrats.

In July 2026, CalMatters' Digital Democracy[ ](https://calmatters.org/politics/2026/07/california-legislature-maverick-lawmakers/?ref=ivn.us)[named Wallis the Legislature's top maverick voter](https://calmatters.org/politics/2026/07/california-legislature-maverick-lawmakers/?ref=ivn.us), ranking him first among lawmakers who vote against the majority of their own party. The analysis noted that he was the lone Republican to support a bill aimed at protecting abortion and gender-affirming care providers from arrest, and the lone Republican to back an LGBTQ Caucus priority bill protecting insurance coverage for gay and transgender Californians.

Wallis is a member of the California Problem Solvers Caucus, a bipartisan group of legislators who work across party lines to develop practical solutions to state challenges. He recently joined a bipartisan coalition working to protect Head Start's evidence-based performance standards from a U.S. Department of Health and Human Services proposal that would eliminate the standards behind the program's comprehensive early childhood services.

"Republicans, Democrats, independents, nobody has a monopoly on good ideas," Wallis told CalMatters.

In September, Wallis led 60 other state lawmakers from both parties in opposing a Trump administration plan to trade a parcel of Yosemite National Park to Kingsbarn Realty Capital, a Nevada-based developer that owns land just outside the park's western boundary and wanted the parcel for a private road into the park, The Desert Sun reported. Wallis sent the letter on his letterhead to Interior Secretary Doug Burgum, with his signature first, asking the department to confirm it would reject the exchange. "Yosemite belongs to no one and to everyone," the letter said. Wallis also authored a joint resolution, adopted by both the Assembly and the state Senate this year, calling on the administration to restore full funding and staffing for the National Park Service.

Closer to home, Wallis joined fellow Republican Assemblymember Jeff Gonzalez on AB 1145, known as Tristan's Bill, which Newsom signed into law. Named for Tristan Bourgeois, a La Quinta man killed in an October 2024 crash involving a big rig on Highway 74, the law directs Caltrans to study safety on the winding mountain highway and similar roads across the state and report its findings to the Legislature ([NBC Palm Springs](https://www.nbcpalmsprings.com/2025/04/24/assemblyman-jeff-gonzalez-and-assemblymember-greg-wallis-introduce-ab-1145-to-investigate-safety-risks-on-hwy-74-and-similar-roads?ref=ivn.us)). In an October 11 letter to The Desert Sun, a reader praised the bill as bipartisan problem-solving, citing a crash rate on the highway 125% higher than on comparable roads and urging Caltrans to finish its study quickly.

In early 2025, Wallis was the only Republican Assemblymember to vote for Newsom's $180 million wildfire prevention funding package. He also joined lawmakers from both parties on a letter led by State Senator Rosilicie Ochoa Bogh urging President Donald Trump to consider expedited work permits for undocumented essential workers, including farmworkers.

During the 2023 to 2024 session, Wallis introduced 37 bills, five of which became law, and Newsom vetoed one. Among those enacted was AB 2111, which prohibits altering a license plate to prevent identification. He also authored bipartisan legislation that extends California's electric-vehicle carpool lane decal program through January 1, 2027, contingent on federal authorization.

### **Ratings and Endorsements**

Wallis supports same sex marriage and abortion rights, and he helped secure funding to rebuild a Palm Springs fertility clinic damaged in a May 2025 bombing. He has received 73% from Equality California, 75% from NARAL Pro Choice California, and 100% from Planned Parenthood Affiliates of California.

Business groups rate him highly, including a 100% score from the California Chamber of Commerce in 2023\. He received 36% from the ACLU and 29% from the Alliance for Retired Americans.

Several public safety unions support Wallis: California Professional Firefighters, the California Correctional Peace Officers Association, and the Peace Officers Research Association of California. The editorial boards of the Riverside Press-Enterprise and the Redlands Daily Facts have also endorsed him. In its September 30 endorsement, the Redlands board called Wallis a pragmatic conservative and argued that Sacramento already has plenty of lawmakers aligned with organized labor.

In a December 2025 interview with the San Bernardino Sun, Wallis described his district as "a mix of Republicans, Democrats, and independent voters who value results over party."

"Given that Sacramento Democrats have spent millions against me each election, I'm sure they will do so again," Wallis said. "The truth is that they and their special interest allies have basically unlimited funds. So, I assume they will keep trying to unseat me, and I will focus my time and effort on doing the right thing for local people. That's how I get re-elected because I'll work with anyone, regardless of their party, to get things done."

Wallis and his high school sweetheart, Desiree, have two dogs, Gunner and Harley.

## **Leila Namvar: Progressive Democrat**

[Democrat Leila Namvar](https://www.leilanamvar.com/?ref=ivn.us), born August 4, 1972, lives in La Quinta and works as a public arts program analyst for the City of Indio. Born and educated in Iran, she worked in urban planning in Tehran before coming to the United States.

Her family began the immigration process in 1983, when she was 11, hoping to join relatives in California. The wait lasted 19 years, according to[ ](https://www.newarab.com/news/iranian-american-leila-namvar-runs-california-assembly?ref=ivn.us)[The New Arab](https://www.newarab.com/news/iranian-american-leila-namvar-runs-california-assembly?ref=ivn.us) and a 2006 Desert Sun profile. She arrived legally in Southern California in 2002, at age 30.

> [ View this post on Instagram ](https://www.instagram.com/reel/DZDmaPqSRow/?utm%5Fsource=ig%5Fembed&utm%5Fcampaign=loading)

Despite holding several degrees, including one in architecture, Namvar started over at the bottom of the job ladder. The Desert Sun reported that she sold tickets at a movie theater and worked as a Red Cross lab assistant. Her campaign says she arrived with no money or connections and at one point held four jobs while taking night classes to learn English. She told The New Arab that she sometimes had to choose between buying gas and saving for rent.

She joined the City of Indio as a planning technician in late 2005 and later moved into public arts. Her campaign credits her with helping shape the city's strategic plans and budgets and opening more room for public input. A September 2025 Desert Sun report noted her role in developing Indio's general plan and its downtown housing density framework.

Namvar became a naturalized U.S. citizen in 2008 and voted for Barack Obama in her first presidential election, according to The New Arab. She later earned a master's degree in public administration and volunteered as a translator for Iranian and Afghan asylum seekers.

### **Labor Leader**

Namvar served as chapter president of SEIU Local 721 at the City of Indio. Her campaign website says she negotiated three contracts, "never backing down from having hard conversations and standing up to powerful interests when the stakes were high." The campaign frames her union work around pay, workplace safety, and health coverage.

She is an[ ](https://www.instagram.com/p/DGwoeuvviI4/?ref=ivn.us)[Assembly District 47 delegate](https://www.instagram.com/p/DGwoeuvviI4/?ref=ivn.us) to the California Democratic Party and serves as[ ](https://democraticwomenofthedesert.org/personnel/leila-namvar/?ref=ivn.us)[membership chair](https://democraticwomenofthedesert.org/personnel/leila-namvar/?ref=ivn.us) of Democratic Women of the Desert. Namvar describes herself as a working mom and a woman of color. Her husband is an emergency room nurse, and their son is training to become an EMT.

> [](https://www.instagram.com/reel/DYJMV8Bzo7S/?ref=ivn.us)

### **Why She Is Running**

Namvar told The New Arab that watching working families fall further behind, and seeing benefits cut for people in need under Trump, pushed her to get more involved. In July 2025, Close the Gap California, which recruits progressive women to run for office, reached out after hearing about her labor and city work and helped her assemble a campaign team. The group's executive director, Susannah Delano, told the outlet that Namvar's affordability message fits the moment.

Announcing[ ](https://www.facebook.com/voteleilanamvar/)[her Assembly bid](https://www.facebook.com/voteleilanamvar/), Namvar told The Desert Sun, "When I came here, I really believed in the American dream. But I think it's slipping away from too many."

Her platform centers on the cost of living. She says she wants the state to rein in corporate power, create better-paying jobs, and make health care and education easier for families in Riverside and San Bernardino Counties to access.

She has also proposed tougher terms for data centers, arguing they drive up local power and water bills and harm the environment. Namvar says she would block new facilities that refuse to sign community benefit agreements covering those costs and local hiring, and would keep them in existing industrial zones, away from homes and schools.

On immigration, Namvar says she would push back against ICE enforcement and work with other legislators to defend Californians from what her campaign calls harmful actions by the Trump administration.

> [](https://www.instagram.com/reel/DeStAVCT3Tz/?ref=ivn.us)

### **Endorsements**

The[ ](https://cadem.org/california-democratic-party-announces-endorsements-for-statewide-congressional-and-state-legislature-candidates/?ref=ivn.us)[California Democratic Party](https://cadem.org/california-democratic-party-announces-endorsements-for-statewide-congressional-and-state-legislature-candidates/?ref=ivn.us) endorsed Namvar after the primary. SEIU, the Working Families Party, CAIR-PAC, the political arm of the Council on American-Islamic Relations, and the California Federation of Labor Unions also back her. By March, she had won the support of about 20 labor unions and several local elected officials, The New Arab reported.

> [](https://www.instagram.com/p/DcGuiIuTjF7/?ref=ivn.us)

[California DSA](https://www.californiadsa.org/voterguide?ref=ivn.us) recommends Namvar as "the clear choice of labor," pointing to her SEIU leadership. She is one of 15 candidates backed by both the Working Families Party and the Democratic Socialists of America in competitive California races this fall, and Assembly District 47 is one of four Republican-held seats on that list ([IVN](https://ivn.us/15-races-where-democratic-socialists-can-reshape-california-politics/)).

If elected, Namvar would be the first Muslim and the first Iranian American to represent the district, according to The New Arab.

> [](https://www.instagram.com/p/DdAMdbegcsr/?ref=ivn.us)

## **Money and Mail**

The Target Book ranks Assembly District 47 among California's most competitive legislative races. Independent expenditures topped $2.5 million in 2024, and outside money is flowing again.

Wallis built an early fundraising advantage, but Namvar has narrowed it since the primary. During the reporting period that closed September 19, the two raised similar amounts: $267,745 for Wallis and $252,369 for Namvar. Since then, Namvar has reported $1,041,183 in new contributions, bringing Wallis's cycle total to $1,506,361 and Namvar's to $1,770,289.

Wallis has also spent far more, $1,264,202 over the cycle compared with Namvar's $395,354\. As of September 19, he had $377,900 in the bank, and she had $82,272, a figure that predates her late surge. Party money is part of the picture on both sides: Wallis has received $143,000 from the California Republican Party, and the California Democratic Party gave Namvar $53,800 in July, after the primary.

In the primary, seven outside committees spent $520,640, according to the Target Book. Three labor committees backed Namvar: SEIU California's Nurses and Educators for Healthy CA Communities at $151,844, followed by the United Domestic Workers of America IE PAC at $85,009 and SEIU Local 721 at $53,022.

Four committees spent $230,765 supporting Wallis. Uber Innovation was the largest single outside spender in the primary at $164,966\. The California Correctional Peace Officers Association added $50,000, the California Apartment Association's Advance California spent $11,360, and the Statewide California Coalition PAC spent $4,439.

Voters are seeing that spending in their mailboxes.[ ](https://www.desertsun.com/story/news/politics/elections/2026/10/08/california-assembly-election-leila-namvar-greg-wallis-candidates/91993389007/?ref=ivn.us)[The Desert Sun reported](https://www.desertsun.com/story/news/politics/elections/2026/10/08/california-assembly-election-leila-namvar-greg-wallis-candidates/91993389007/?ref=ivn.us) that most of the mail for and against both candidates comes from independent groups, not the campaigns. Mailers attacking Wallis focus on his donations from oil and utility companies. Mailers attacking Namvar highlight her support from the Democratic Socialists of America and say she backs a major tax hike.

## **Where They Stand on Affordability**

Both candidates are running on affordability. In answers to a Desert Sun questionnaire, Wallis called the cost of living "the biggest issue facing families across our communities," citing higher prices for groceries, gas, and insurance. He also listed public safety and a more efficient state government among his priorities.

Namvar focused on housing, pledging more affordable units, stronger renter protections, and more help with down payments for first-time buyers, along with infrastructure and transit spending to cut commuting costs across the Coachella Valley.

They part ways on taxes and spending. Namvar told The New Arab, "I understand the need for tax reform," and said California should reorder its budget priorities to ease the cost of living. The Redlands Daily Facts board predicted she would vote for tax increases. Wallis told the board that the state budget has roughly doubled in ten years while many services have gotten worse, and he wants independent, nonpartisan audits of state programs. The Howard Jarvis Taxpayers Association has graded him B, B, and most recently A, according to the editorial.

They also split on high-speed rail. Wallis calls the project "one of the biggest examples of government waste in California history." Namvar told the same editorial board she strongly supports finishing the San Francisco-to-Los Angeles line as part of expanding affordable transportation.

Wallis also favors streamlining the California Environmental Quality Act so housing and other projects can be built faster, and supports more money for addiction and mental health treatment if it comes with more accountability.

## **Independents Hold the Key**

Wallis has held this seat by winning over voters outside his own party. Namvar is counting on stronger November turnout, the state party's backing, and her late fundraising surge to change that. The district's No Party Preference voters outnumber Wallis's 2024 margin nearly 12 to 1.

## **About the November 3 General Election**

The last day to register to vote for the November 3, 2026, General Election is October 19, 2026\. Eligible Californians who miss the deadline can still register and cast a provisional ballot through same-day conditional voter registration at their county elections office or a vote center. All active registered voters will receive a vote-by-mail ballot, with mailing beginning October 5\. Early in-person voting begins October 24 in Voter's Choice Act counties. Vote-by-mail ballots must be postmarked by Election Day and received by November 10.

## **Source Notes**

This article draws on publicly available information from the California Secretary of State, CalMatters and its Digital Democracy project, the California Target Book, California FPPC campaign finance filings, The Desert Sun, the Riverside Press-Enterprise, the Redlands Daily Facts, the San Bernardino Sun, The New Arab, the Idyllwild Town Crier, The Ballot Brief, the California Democratic Party, California DSA Voter Guide, candidate websites and social media accounts, and other local and regional reporting.