Candidate drops out of 21st District contest
Candidate for the 21st Congressional District Angel Lara has stepped down from the race.
On Thursday morning, Lara announced on Twitter he would not face off against Rep. David Valadao, R-Hanford, in the upcoming election.
His announcement comes shortly after Assemblyman Rudy Salas, D-Bakersfield, declared he intended to run against Valadao as well. Salas is seen as the preferred choice of the Democratic Party, which hopes to take the district back from Republican control.
A 26-year-old Bakersfield native, Lara graduated from Golden Valley High School and UC Berkeley before working in Sen. Dianne Feinstein’s office.
“While it’s bittersweet to end my campaign for Congress, I remain committed to doing everything I can to help Democrats flip this seat in 2022,” Lara wrote on Twitter. “This campaign was always about taking back our district from Trump’s Republican party, and I’m so grateful to everyone who supported me over the past few months. As a gay son of Mexican immigrants, my story is the story of the American dream.”
He added that he would look for other ways to serve the Central Valley.
The Kern County Democratic Party has a new headquarters for the first time in four years.
Located at 330 H St., the local Democrats plan to take on the challenges of the next election from their new home.
“After going nearly four years without an office, I am extremely excited that the Kern Democratic Party will finally have a place to call home,” Christian Romo, chairman of the local Democratic Party, said in a statement. “This space will allow us to grow our outreach to local Democrats and ensure that we build the infrastructure we need to go into the next election cycle well equipped to win some of those most critical seats in the nation.”