Shannon Grove claimed the Republican win for California’s sixteenth Senate District as of election night, Nov. 6. 

The sixteenth Senate District consists of several cities across the Kern, Tulare and San Bernardino counties of the Central Valley. With over 900,000 people, it is one of the largest districts in the state. 

The two candidates, Republican Shannon Grove, and Democrat Ruth Musser-Lopez focused their campaigns around job creation and solving water issues in the Central Valley. 

Grove is an Arvin High School graduate and a military veteran, having served in the Headquarters Company 5th Corps for three years. She began a temporary staffing agency with her sister-in-law where she helps people acquire jobs. 

To Musser-Lopez, this turnout was not entirely unforeseen. The sixteenth district houses mostly Republican voters compared to the rest of California. A Democrat win for this seat, according to Musser-Lopez, has never happened.

Grove’s plans for water distribution include working with companies to bring water to the Central Valley.

“I’ve worked with several companies to help facilitate additional water funding to the community. Not only here, but over in the Central Valley…we already have three pilot projects that have already been approved. We have a third one that just got approved recently by the state water resources control board. We’re working hard to deliver water,” Grove said.

Grove was preceded by Senator Jean Fuller and is scheduled to be sworn in on Dec. 3, 2018.