The Abridged version:
- West Sacramento Mayor Martha Guerrero announced Thursday she will run to represent California’s 6th Congressional District.
- Also on Thursday, state Sen. Angelique Ashby confirmed she will not run, an idea she had previously considered.
- The newly redrawn district, created when voters approved Proposition 50, includes portions of North Sacramento, West Sacramento, Citrus Heights, Roseville and Rocklin.
The mayor of West Sacramento has entered a crowded race for the open seat in California’s new 6th Congressional District.
Martha Guerrero, who was first elected mayor in 2020, is running to represent the newly redrawn district, The Sacramento Bee first reported in an exclusive interview. The district, created when voters approved Proposition 50 last fall, includes portions of North Sacramento, West Sacramento, Citrus Heights, Roseville and Rocklin.
“I am running for Congress because our communities deserve a representative who has been in the trenches for working families,” she said in a news release. “Together, we are going to win this seat and help build an economy and a country that serves working people.”
Guerrero, a Democrat, will be running against multiple opponents to represent the district, which has historically elected Democrats.
A crowded field
Other Democratic candidates include Planned Parenthood leader Lauren Babb Tomlinson, former state Sen. Richard Pan and Sacramento County District Attorney Thien Ho. Federal Election Commission filings also include Democrat Tyler Vandenberg and Republicans Raymond Riehle, Christine Bish, Craig Deluz and Michael Enoch Stansfield.
One notable omission from the race is state Sen. Angelique Ashby, who represents District 8 in Sacramento County.
Representatives for Ashby confirmed that she isn’t planning on running for the 6th District seat, as first reported by The Bee. Ashby was named Senate majority leader in the state Legislature in late December. She previously told PBS KVIE’s Studio Sacramento host Scott Syphax “there’s a ton of encouragement out there for me to do it, but I don’t know the answer.”
In a statement released on her campaign website, Ashby said the decision not to run eventually became clear.
“I can accomplish more right now for our region by continuing to serve in the California State Senate than in an increasingly unproductive, dysfunctional, and polarized Congress,” she said.
Guerrero’s decades of experience
Guerrero, a licensed clinical social worker, received her education and began her career in Los Angeles. After moving to West Sacramento, she served on several advisory boards in Yolo County and West Sacramento before being elected to the City Council in 2018.
“For over two decades, I’ve served the West Sacramento community, bringing people together to make our city safer and stronger by strengthening flood protection, supporting local small business growth and job opportunities, increasing transparency in government, and tackling homelessness by expanding access to services and transitional housing,” she said.
Guerrero was re-elected mayor of West Sacramento in 2024. Her current term ends in 2028.
Daniel Hennessy joins Abridged from the California Local News Fellowship. He’s a reporter covering Yolo County. Felicia Alvarez, who covers accountability at Abridged, contributed reporting.