Esmeralda Zamudio Soria (born April 22, 1982)[1] is an American politician and adjunct professor who is serving in the California State Assembly for the 27th district since 2022. Previously, she served as a member of the Fresno City Council from 2015 to 2022, with Soria serving as Council President from 2015 to 2022.
Soria began working at the California State Capitol after graduating from UC Berkeley and later interned at the White House. Soria was elected to the Fresno City Council in 2014, being the only woman on the council. She was elected president of the Council in 2018, becoming the first Latina council president in Fresno city history.
In 2020, Soria announced that she would challenge moderate DemocratJim Costa for the U.S. House of Representatives.[2] She stated that she had felt that "nothing had changed" about the problems in Costa's district since his election in 2004.[3][4] She lost the primary to Costa and Republican Kevin Cookingham.[5]
In 2021, Soria stated that she had been considering running for California State Assembly, as she was set to term out after the end of her term.[6] In January 2022, she launched her campaign for the State Assembly's 27th district.[7] In the election, she and Mark Pazin advanced in the primary, and Soria defeated Pazin in the general election after a tight race.[8]
Personal life
Soria is married to developer Terance Frazier, with the two being married in Sayulita, Mexico.[9]