David Couch
Republican
Candidate Biography:
Born: August 17, 1958, in Bakersfield, CA
University: San Jose State University (B.S. in Business Administration (Accounting)
1999-2012: Member, Bakersfield City Council
2013-Present: Member, Kern County Board of Supervisors
2026: Early Primary Candidate for SD-12 (withdrew)
- LEGISLATIVE HISTORY: In 2026, Couch was the only candidate to file to appear in his contest on both the primary and general election ballots. Couch is the first new lawmaker elected to a first term in the state legislature without facing a single opponent since Nathan F. Coombs was elected to his first State Senate term in 1948. The last time a non-incument Assembly candidate was elected without opposition was in 1946, when Laughlin E. Waters (AD58) and Harry J. Johnson (AD36) were the only candidates to file.