Assemblyman Chad Mayes will not seek reelection, could impact congressional representation
On Monday, Assemblyman Chad Mayes (I-Yucca Valley) announced he will not be seeking reelection to serve a 5th term in the California State Assembly.
Mayes tweeted "It has been an honor of a lifetime to serve the people of my district in the California legislature. I am incredibly grateful for the opportunity to have served."
Good morning. I will not be seeking reelection to serve a 5th term in the California State Assembly.
— Chad Mayes (@ChadMayes) January 10, 2022
It has been an honor of a lifetime to serve the people of my district in the California legislature. I am incredibly grateful for the opportunity to have served.
Mayes, now the dad of a newborn girl, says travel back and forth to Sacramento is a big reason he’s leaving the assembly.
Mayes said he is moving onto a new chapter, but wants to continue serving the public.
“I know, there's been some speculation whether I was going to run in this new congressional seat or not," Mayes said, "And I was asked just today, whether I've ruled it out. And I said, I wasn't ruling it out. But then I also said I wasn't ruling it in. So you know, these sorts of things, these decisions that are made are not just made by the candidate themselves are also made by the community.”
Mayes has held the 42nd District seat since 2014, after serving for nearly a decade on the Yucca Valley Town Council, including two stints as mayor. He is the former Republican leader of the state Assembly, however, he gave up his leadership post after he angered Republicans by working with Democratic lawmakers to extend California’s limits on greenhouse gas emissions in 2017.
In Dec. 2019, he made national news when he announced he was leaving the Republican party and switching to no party preference.
“We've got to start thinking about how we can work towards our common good, our common interests, and not those things that divide us," Mayes added, "And so if there's any interest that I'd have in going back to Washington DC would be to focus on that.”
He was re-elected to his fourth term in Nov. 2020, defeating Republican Andrew Kotyuk with 55% of the vote.
We asked Assemblyman Eduardo Garcia, who represents Assembly district 56, about a possible run for a higher office.
“It’s something that I’ll be deciding very soon," Garcia said, "And look, California needs good representation here in California and in Washington DC. I’d be honored to serve in either capacity but either way, it’s where can I best serve the people of the Coachella Valley and that how the decision will be made.”
As we have reported, redistricting changes mean the representation of the Coachella Valley cities will soon be split into two congressional seats.
Just last month, News Channel 3 broke the news that Congressman Raul Ruiz he would run in the newly drawn congressional district that will include the eastern Coachella Valley, all of Imperial County, and parts of San Bernardino county.
“I know you and Congressman Ruiz are good friends. So is that a possibility?"
Garcia responded, "I live in Coachella. My family is in Imperial County. My parents were born and raised and on the border... but you know, I will make a decision based on where we could best serve the people of the Coachella Valley.”
Storm Jenkins, owner of a local firearms store, also announced his bid in October to run for congress.
The 42nd Assembly District includes parts of San Bernardino and Riverside counties, including the cities of Banning, Beaumont, Indian Wells, Palm Springs, Palm Desert and Rancho Mirage.
The new state Assembly map changes a bit of the district going forward. Most of the 42nd District covered will become the new 47th District.
