Three challenge Jim Cooper’s Assembly seat
Assemblyman Jim Cooper, D-Elk Grove, will be defending his District 9 seat against three challengers next month, many of whom are political newcomers.
One of those newcomers is Mushtaq Tahirkheli, a notary public who has lived in Lodi for more than five years.
The 71-year-old registered Democrat was born in Pakistan, and he and his wife Musarrat Nazir have four adult children.
Tahirkheli describes himself as a working class guy who knows the issues and problems his community faces, and promises to fight for the working class. He’d like to tackle issues like expensive bills, low minimum wage, the high cost of education and housing, climate change, taxes and civil rights.
Eric Rigard is another newcomer to politics. The lone Republican in the race, Rigard is a retired businessman who has lived in Elk Grove for more than seven years with his wife Jackie and youngest daughter.
A pro-life, conservative Christian, he is endorsed by the Sacramento County Republican Party and the San Joaquin Republican Party.
Issues he would like to address if elected include the state’s homeless situation, affordable housing for senior citizens, lowering taxes and reducing vehicle emissions.
He would also like to make it possible for thirdparty groups to pay for health care needs of patients on dialysis, as well as give independent contractors the ability to negotiate contracts with employers and earn a living wage, something taken away with the passage of Assembly Bill 5.
The 62-year-old graduated from Morningwood High School in Inglewood and majored in political science at the University of California Los Angeles.
For more information about Rigard, visit www. rigardforassembly.com.
Elk Grove resident Tracie Stafford is not stranger to politics, but has yet to hold a seat in government.
The 53-year-old Democrat ran for Elk Grove Mayor in 2016 and 2018, coming in third at the polls in both campaigns.
She has been the communications chairwoman of the Democratic Party of Sacramento County, a delegate of the California Democratic Party Executive Board, president of the National Association of Women Business Owners and president of the
Women Democrats of Sacramento County.
Raised in Alameda County, Stafford graduated from San Lorenzo High School and earned a bachelor’s degree from the University of Phoenix. She also earned her Management Development for Entrepreneurs certification from UCLA’s Anderson School of Management.
She is an independent business consultant currently on leave from Allegory, Inc., where she was vice president of expansion.
Stafford is a member of Elk Grove Rotary Club, Women Democrats of Sacramento County, Elk Grove South County Democrats, Stonewall Democratic Club, Girl Scouts of America, CADEM African American Caucus, Sacramento NAACP and CADEM Women’s Caucus.
She and her husband Bryan have three adult daughters and a son in high school.
For more information about Stafford, visit www.traciestafford.com.
This will be Cooper’s fourth campaign for the Assembly’s District 9. He was first elected in 2014.
The 56-year-old Democrat was born in France, graduated from the West Point Leadership Academy and the Federal Bureau of Investigations National Academy. He also earned a master’s degree in organizational leadership from Saint Mary’s College.
A former deputy with the Sacramento County Sheriff ’s Department, Cooper unsuccessfully ran for Sheriff in 2010. He served on the Elk Grove City Council from 2000 to 2014 before being elected to the Assembly.
He is a member of the National Narcotics Officers Association, the Law Enforcement Managers Association, the Sacramento County Deputy Sheriff ’s Association, the Green Democrats, the Stonewall Democrats, the Wellstone Democratic Club, the Elk Grove South County Democratic Club and Sacramento Veterans Democrats.
For more information about Cooper, visit www.cooperforassembly.com