Rusty Hicks concedes, Santa Rosa’s Chris Rogers heads to general election for North Coast Assembly seat

A little more than two weeks after the primary for a new North Coast state Assembly member, California Democratic Party Chairman Rusty Hicks conceded the race for the critical second slot on the November ballot to Santa Rosa City Council member Chris Rogers on Friday.

Rogers, a Democrat, will face Republican candidate Mike Greer, a Del Norte school board trustee who earned more than 27% of the primary vote. Given the significant Democratic voter registration advantage in the district, Rogers is all but assured of victory in November.

For more than two weeks, Rogers maintained a slim lead over Hicks, of Arcata, as mail-in ballots were tabulated across Assembly District 2, which spans Sonoma, Mendocino, Humboldt, Del Norte and Trinity counties.

Following the tabulation of tens of thousands of remaining votes in Sonoma, Mendocino and Humboldt counties this week, Rogers was leading Hicks with 1,489 votes Thursday, and there was no feasible path for the state party chairman to make up the ground.

“Based on today’s numbers we feel very confident that we’re headed toward November,” Rogers told The Press Democrat on Thursday.

On Friday, Hicks called Rogers and congratulated him, according to a statement Hicks sent to The Press Democrat.

“I know the North Coast will continue to be well represented in the State Assembly and I look forward to the opportunity to work with (Rogers) to deliver for the North Coast,” Hicks said.

Rogers, 36, is a Santa Rosa native who was first elected to the City Council in 2016. The next year, Santa Rosa was devastated by the deadly 2017 firestorm, and like many in local government, response to various disasters defined his tenure on the council. His colleagues elected him mayor for a two-year term in December 2020, amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

Along with confronting those catastrophes, his time in local government has been defined by a focus on environmental, transportation and social equity issues. As mayor and council member, Rogers often delved into the wonkier, more technical aspects of legislating.

Rogers is the second place winner in the primary and faced a highly competitive field composed of four other Democratic candidates and Greer.

In an era where money is often considered the magic ingredient in political races, Rogers bucked the trend, overcoming millions of dollars in spending from two well-funded candidates in Hicks and Kelley.

Hicks reported raising around $805,500 over the course of a short, three-month campaign sprint. Rogers raised around $345,000. A PAC supporting Hicks spent an additional $730,000 to promote him. A PAC supporting Rogers spent $41,250.

A separate PAC, funded by the California Association of Realtors, spent around $107,000 on attack ads against Rogers in the closing days of the race.

You can reach Staff Writer Andrew Graham at 707-526-8667 or andrew.graham@pressdemocrat.com. Follow him on X (Twitter) @AndrewGraham88