Sacramento’s current state Assemblyman is Dave Jones. The Democrat isn’t allowed to run for re-election because of term limits. He’s running for state Insurance Commissioner instead. That leaves a vacuum.  

 

“…and a lot of people want to fill that vacuum, people that have been sort of working their way up the political food chain.”

 

Sacramento Political Analyst Doug Elmets is referring to the three frontrunners in the Democratic primary: County Supervisor Roger Dickinson and city council members Lauren Hammond and Kevin McCarty.  

 

Two other candidates are running for the Democratic nomination: political newcomer Adam Sartain and Chris Garland, the political director for the California Faculty Association. The CFA has tried to boost Garland by spending heavily on direct mail pieces including attacks on Kevin McCarty. 

 

“Lauren Hammond has an interesting chance just because she’s the only woman in the race. But Roger Dickinson has managed to garner an enormous amount of financial support which essentially means he’s probably the candidate to beat.”

 

The Democratic Primary winner will advance to face Republican Rick Redding and Daniel Costa with the Peace and Freedom Party. They are both running unopposed.

 

California’s 9th Assembly District includes nearly all the city and much of the county of Sacramento. Previous office holders include current Senate President Pro-Tem Darrell Steinberg and former state Senator Deborah Ortiz.