Who will replace Jim Cooper in the Legislature? 3 Democrats want the Elk Grove seat

After weeks of speculation and prodding from fellow Democrats, Assemblyman Jim Cooper revealed Wednesday he will not seek reelection to the California Legislature, opting instead to run for Sacramento County sheriff.

The field now narrows to three Sacramento-area Democrats who want to represent the 10th Assembly District, which includes Elk Grove and parts of south Sacramento : Eric Guerra, Sacramento’s mayor pro tem, Stephanie Nguyen, an Elk Grove city council member, and Tecoy Porter, a Sacramento pastor.

A clear front runner has yet to emerge among the three Democrats currently in the race. Cooper’s departure means one less moderate Democrat in the Legislature, and the district is unlikely to elect a Republican.

Cooper ruffled some feathers among district activists last week because he continued to seek the California Democratic Party’s endorsement, despite his indecision between the Assembly and the sheriff’s race. Party delegates pulled his automatic endorsement, and will instead vote on an endorsement for the seat.

On Wednesday evening, Andrew Acosta, a strategist for Nguyen, said Cooper will endorse her in the election.

She also has the endorsement of Elk Grove Mayor Bobbie Singh-Allen, Assemblyman Kevin McCarty, D-Sacramento, and state Sen. Richard Pan, D-Sacramento.

Acosta argued that Nguyen is the best fit for the seat because the district is made up mostly of Elk Grove residents and has a significant Asian American population.

“There’s a lot of stuff for Stephanie to work with,” he said.

Guerra represents Sacramento’s 6th City Council District, in the eastern part of the city, and lives in Tahoe Park. Recently, he voted against a resolution to support single-payer healthcare in California. He had previously set his sights on running for the state Senate, but switched over to the Assembly after the redistricting process was completed.

He started his campaign with $325,000 cash on hand, he said in a campaign statement.

Guerra in his campaign announcement said the district mirrors his own personal story.

“I grew up as a first generation immigrant working in the fields from the age of 5,” he said. “This district is filled with people with diverse backgrounds and cultures who are looking for a voice to represent them in the Capitol.”

Steve Maviglio, a Democratic consultant who has donated to Guerra’s campaign, said the district is likely to get competitive.

“There’s a lot of divisions. Elk Grove is a pretty hot political hot potato and there are a lot of divisions there. If you’ve noticed, the last mayoral race, city council races, were very contentious. There’s a lot of competitive ethnic match-ups and it’s classic suburbia. Economic matters usually carry the day,” he said.

Porter, who lives in Elk Grove, is the senior pastor at Genesis Church in Sacramento and a community leader who was an active voice in state politics following the murder of George Floyd in Minneapolis. He recently opened Tecoy Porter College Prep, a K-5 elementary school with the mission to “close the African American achievement gap,” according to his biography.

This story was originally published February 10, 2022 at 5:00 AM with the headline "Who will replace Jim Cooper in the Legislature? 3 Democrats want the Elk Grove seat."