Two Democratic Marin County candidates appear to have cleared the hurdle of Tuesday’s primary election in their races for seats in the California Legislature.
State Assemblymember Damon Connolly, D-San Rafael, is vying for the District 2 seat in the state Senate, with 67% of the vote, or 85,542 votes in his favor. Republican Tief Gibbs was a distant second, with 20% of the vote.
Marin County Supervisor Eric Lucan is in second place in the race for Connolly’s open District 12 Assembly seat. As of Wednesday, the lead for that seat was held by Republican corrections officer Eryn Cervantes with 26% of the vote, just ahead of Lucan’s 24%. Three points behind Lucan, in third place, is candidate Jackie Elward.
After primary results are certified on July 10, both candidates will face their second-place opponent in the November race. But as votes continue to be counted, the top two candidates for the District 12 Assembly race in November could change.
“Here’s where things stand: The race has not been called,” Lucan said in a Wednesday statement. “It may take some time before we have final results, but we are cautiously optimistic about being in the top two and making it to the general election.”
Connolly expresses confidence
Connolly thanked his voters Wednesday in a statement reiterating his policy agenda on tackling the affordability crisis, working on environmental resilience and protecting his district from Trump administration abuses.
“I’m confident this message will resonate through November, but we’re taking nothing for granted,” Connolly said. “I will continue to connect with voters all across state District 2, not just through the election but for my entire tenure as a state senator, because that’s what my constituents deserve.”
A longtime Marin County leader, Connolly previously served as a Marin County Supervisor, vice mayor of San Rafael, and president of a local school board. A graduate of UC Berkeley, where he earned both undergraduate and law degrees, he later worked as a supervising deputy California attorney general before establishing a law practice in San Rafael.
Bolstered by a roster of influential endorsements, Connolly, 62, has earned support from Congressman Jared Huffman, Congressman Adam Schiff, California Attorney General Rob Bonta, civil rights leader Dolores Huerta, the Sierra Club, and the Laborers International Union of North America. He has received endorsements from political, labor and environmental groups.
His comments Wednesday also addressed the close District 12 race. Connolly citied what he called excessive campaign spending for Republican candidates and Democrats that voted late out of concern over the governor’s race.
“The late ballots in this election will be decisive,” Connolly said. “Each of the Democrats brings something to the table, but I’ve been appalled by the outside spending in this race from AI and crypto interests. It’s a reminder of just how broken our campaign finance laws are that a handful of billionaires can spend more in an Assembly race than any of the actual candidates.”
Lucan would likely face Cervantes
Cervantes is endorsed by both the California and Marin County Republican Party. According to her campaign site, Cervantes was raised on a family farm in Murphys in Calaveras County. Her website biography said she has over 20 years of experience in correctional service, as well as a law degree, and champions public safety and victims’ rights.
While supervisor, Lucan helped increase wages for Novato city employees, in-home support care providers and minimum wage workers. He held board chair roles for SMART rail and the Transportation Authority of Marin, during the expansion of both systems in the North Bay. Lucan is endorsed by U.S. Rep. Jared Huffman, U.S. Sen. Adam Schiff and dozens of local community and elected leaders in Marin County.
The close third-place challenger is Jackie Elward, an immigrant born in the Democratic Republic of Congo. She became the first Black woman elected to the Rohnert Park City Council in 2020. Her career experience includes working as an educator in the Santa Rosa City Schools District, and she has served on the Sonoma County Transportation/Regional Climate Protection Authority.
Lucan, Cervantes and Elward are fighting for California’s 12th Assembly District, which includes the Sonoma County cities of Cotati, Petaluma, Rohnert Park, and Santa Rosa, as well as all of Marin County — including San Rafael, Novato, Mill Valley, Larkspur, San Anselmo, Corte Madera, Tiburon, Fairfax, Sausalito, Ross, and Belvedere.
