State Democrats announce candidate recruitment initiative
Apr. 25—The California Democratic Party launched a statewide campaign on Thursday to recruit hundreds of Democrats to run for local office with a target focus on rural areas, including Yuba and Colusa counties.
According to officials, Republican incumbents often run uncontested in non-urban areas throughout the state. Target races include city council, city treasurer, mayor, and city clerk among other local government positions.
This candidate recruitment program is part of a national campaign by the organization Contest Every Race, and utilizes text messages, coaching calls and in-person organizing meetings to identify and mobilize Democrats to run for local office.
Since its inception in 2018, the Contest Every Race project has recruited over 7,000 Democrats to run for local office nationally, with 40% of candidates winning their races.
The program is targeting 774 local races across 31 counties, including Yuba, Colusa, Butte, Placer, Sierra and Plumas counties. Officials aim to recruit at least 105 Democrats who have not run for office before to file by the August deadline.
"As we launch our campaign to recruit local candidates across California, we're driven to include leaders from every part of our state — from rural communities to urban centers. We contest every race because California Democrats are committed to an economy that works for everyone." California Democratic Party Executive Director Yvette Martinez said in a statement. "We believe that every person should have fair access to improve their lives through good paying jobs, affordable housing, quality education, universal and exceptional healthcare, racial justice and protections against the impact of climate change. We are proud to partner with Contest Every Race and focus on every single corner of California."
