Marin’s Connolly to run for state Senate seat

Assemblymember Damon Connolly is rolling the dice giving up his seat to run for state Senate.

District 2, which includes Marin, is represented by Senate President Pro Tem Mike McGuire.

The state’s term limit laws permit a lifetime maximum of 12 years in the Legislature. McGuire will reach the term limit in January 2027. Connolly, a San Rafael resident who was elected to the Assembly in 2022, has eight years remaining.

In the Legislature, half of its members will reach their term limit by 2026, said David McCuan, a political science professor at Sonoma State University.

“There is this game of musical chairs,” McCuan said.

Once elected, Assembly members are difficult to defeat. Connolly was reelected in November with over 79% of the vote. Nevertheless, he has chosen not to stand pat.

“These are dangerous times,” said Connolly, citing the Trump administration’s moves to drastically cut the size of the federal government, impose broad tariffs and strictly enforce immigration laws.

“We need someone with the experience and track record to meet this moment and I am ready to deliver on Day 1,” he said.

The primary election is scheduled for June 2, 2026. If none of the candidates receive a majority of the vote, the top two vote-getters will participate in a runoff in the Nov. 3, 2026 election.

In addition to Marin, District 2 includes Sonoma, Del Norte, Humboldt, Lake, Mendocino, and Trinity counties.

Two Sonoma County residents — Sonoma County Supervisor James Gore and Santa Rosa City Council member Natalie Rogers — previously announced they also will run for the seat. McCuan expects the race to ultimately narrow to a duel between Connolly and Gore.

“It’s going to be fascinating to watch because they don’t slice and dice the same set of Democratic primary voters,” McCuan said. “Gore has very close wine interests. His positions are probably more moderate and more business leaning than Damon. They both have incredible confidence in their ability to win this race.”

Connolly was elected to the Assembly in 2022 after a close race with Sara Aminzadeh. Connolly ended up with 51% of the vote versus Aminzadeh’s 49%. During that campaign, Connolly stressed his experience.

Before joining the Assembly, Connolly served two terms on the Marin County Board of Supervisors, seven years on the San Rafael City Council, and as a trustee on the Miller Creek School District board. He worked as a state deputy attorney general.

Since joining the Assembly, Connolly has authored 13 bills that became laws. Connolly said Thursday that he is proud of the work he did in his first term helping to enact and pass Proposition 4, a $10 billion state climate bond that will provide funding for wildfire prevention, drought resilience, sea-level rise adaptation, and home hardening.

Connolly was part of a working group that helped shape the proposition. “The two sections I worked on secured a provision that will provide $135 million toward home hardening,” he said.

Connolly said the two biggest challenges the state faces are wildfire and President Trump.

“Our work in the Legislature fundamentally changed this year due to the catastrophic wildfires in Los Angeles,” Connolly said.

He said the Legislature needs to focus on helping Los Angeles recover and preventing similar conflagrations in other parts of the state.

Connolly said the Legislature is also intent on responding to the “threats the Trump administration is posing to our state, our nation and our democracy.”

“A big part of what we’re doing right now is funding the Attorney General’s Office to file and defend lawsuits where California values are at stake,” he said.

Regarding the forecast by the Legislative Analyst’s Office that the state faces annual operating deficits beginning in 2026‑27 — growing from about $20 billion to about $30 billion, Connolly said, “It means we’re going to have to look at all options, including some long-time subsidies enjoyed by multinational corporations doing business in California. It’s time we reevaluate those.”

McCuan said one of the disadvantages of being a member of the Assembly is that you have to run for reelection every two years, instead of every four years for members of the state Senate. He added, however, that the frequency of the campaigns makes it easier for Assembly members to raise money in a short period of time.

Connolly said he has about $400,000 left over from his last Assembly campaign that he will be able to use in his Senate race.