MENDOCINO CO., 4/3/25 – State Assemblymember Damon Connolly, D-San Rafael, on Thursday announced his bid for the state Senate’s 2nd District seat.
The 2nd District includes Del Norte, Humboldt, Marin, Mendocino, Sonoma and Trinity counties.
The district’s current state senator is Mike McGuire, D-Healdsburg, who has held the position since 2014. McGuire is the highest-ranking member of the state Senate, serving as president pro tempore since 2024. He’s ineligible to run for the Senate seat again in the 2026 election due to term limits.
Connolly was elected to the state Assembly in 2022. Prior to that, he served on the Marin County Board of Supervisors, as vice mayor of San Rafael, board president of the Miller Creek School District in San Rafael, and California deputy attorney general.
Connolly cites President Donald Trump as a factor in his decision to run for state Senate.
“These are dangerous times. The Trump Administration is going after our schools, our businesses, our health care, our coastline, our diverse communities, and our very way of life,” he said, “We need a State Senator who is ready to step up and meet this moment.”
According to his campaign website, he identifies as a progressive. His election issues include wildfire prevention, climate change and environmental protections, health care and reproductive rights, social justice and equity, housing, homelessness, transportation, sustainable agriculture, economic revitalization, and open space.
Wildfire prevention is a major focus of his campaign, Connolly said.
In 2024, he co-authored the California Climate and Wildfire Prevention Bond, which secured $1.5 billion for wildfire and forest resiliency projects. The bill was approved by voters as Proposition 4 in the 2024 election.
If elected, Connolly hopes to expand vegetation management, wildfire detection, evacuation programs and public fire safety education projects across the district, he said.
Another candidate, Sonoma County Supervisor James Gore announced his candidacy for the 2nd District Senate seat in January.