Roseville, CA…This week I’ll be filing papers to run in California’s newly drawn 6th Congressional District.
It’s true that I was fully prepared to run in the new 5th, having tested the waters and with polls showing a favorable outlook in a “safe” district. But doing what’s easy and what’s right are often not the same. And at the end of the day, as much as I love the communities in the 5th District that I represent now – and as excited as I was about the new ones – seeking office in a district that doesn’t include my hometown didn’t feel right.

I was born, raised, and went to local public schools in Placer and Sacramento Counties, which I’ve always called home. They’ve been the core of my district during my time in elected office. That’s as it should be. It’s what representation is about. The evil of gerrymandering is that it slices up and tears apart communities in a way that erodes the fabric of representative government. That’s why I’ve opposed it everywhere – whether Texas or California, Indiana or Virginia. While we can’t now reverse the gerrymandering epidemic that has afflicted our country and scrambled our state’s map, I want to do what I can to make things better and not worse.

The new 6th District is Democratic-leaning but open-minded. While this will be a more challenging race, I believe we can build a winning coalition for common sense. Thanks to all for your encouragement and patience. The fight for California’s future has only just begun.