UKIAH, CA., 11/5/24 — Chris Rogers, running for California State Assembly for the 2nd District, made a stop in Ukiah during a whirlwind Election Day dash from Eureka to Santa Rosa. The trip exemplifies the vast size of the 2nd District, which includes Del Norte, Trinity, Humboldt, and Mendocino counties, plus northern and western Sonoma County.
Mendocino County supervisors and inland voters showed up at the happy hour organized by Rogers’ election team. Burgers and artisan pizzas were laid out in the upstairs section at Ukiah Brewing Company, and around 35 campaign members and voters were on hand to applaud a long year of campaigning as they quaffed craft beers.
Even though the event was all about Rogers, no one could resist discussing the presidential race. “I’ve been disassociating all day from reality,” said Elizabeth Archer, a Mendocino County voter. “But now that the polls are closing, I’ve been allowing myself to have boundless optimism and hope.”
Archer, a supporter of presidential candidate Kamala Harris, also said that she believes Rogers would be a perfect representative of the 2nd Assembly District, which encompasses a diverse range of communities.
“I’ve gotten to meet Chris several times throughout his candidacy,” Archer said. “I think he knows the areas and the issues well. I don’t have any doubts about his ability to represent the North Coast.”
Despite his age, Rogers has a long political career, including as a senior staffer for State Senator Mike McGuire. In 2016 he was elected to the Santa Rosa City Council and later became the youngest mayor in the city’s history. During his tenure, he balanced the budget and dealt with the fallout of the ruinous Tubbs Fire.
Rogers took a few minutes out for a brief interview. “For us this is a celebration after a year on the campaign trail, an outlet for stress that people are having about the national election. We wanted to show up in every part of the district… It’s the third largest assembly district in the state.”
He said he was “cautiously optimistic” about Kamala Harris’ candidacy. He mentioned the national race’s impact on undocumented immigrants, on women’s health care and other issues, noting that a Harris presidency would allow them to move forward while a Trump presidency would put them in a defensive position.
Rogers thinks he’ll know tonight whether he ends up in Sacramento. “The final count may be later, but I think we’ll have most of the votes by the end of the night.”
When asked what he’ll do for himself later this evening, Rogers said that during his whirlwind tour of the district, he’s been away from his family. “I have an adorable five-month-old baby. He’s at home, and I’m going home to celebrate with them.”
Chris will hit the ground running since he’s already on top of the issues affecting North Coast residents.