Elijah Mack – Senate District 21
Mack is a college student and libertarian activist. He is a first-time candidate for state office.
California State Senator
Senator Laird has been in the public eye since 1981, when he was first elected to Santa Cruz City Council, and later served as the city's Mayor. He then served in the Assembly and became Secretary for the California Natural Resources Agency from 2011 to 2019. He was elected to the State Senate in 2020.
Senator Laird does not have a written public safety platform, but has generally voted in favor of progressive criminal justice reform and received an A in our Legislative Scorecard in 2023 and 2024. He is seen widely as a very progressive leader, championing environmental justice and LGBTQ rights issues. He is endorsed by many progressive leaders and organizations, such as former Assemblymember Mark Stone and Assemblymember Ash Kalra.
However, Senator Laird has also received significant campaign contributions from law enforcement and is endorsed by Monterey County Sheriff Tina Nieto, and Santa Cruz County Sheriff Jim Hart. Nevertheless, IJ Action encourages SD 17 voters to support Senator Laird in this race given the extremist views of his opponent and his strong progressive background.
Mack is a college student and libertarian activist. He is a first-time candidate for state office.
Senator Limón was first elected to the State Senate in 2020 after serving two terms in the State Assembly.
Senator Ochoa Bogh was first elected to the California State Senate in 2020, after working for years as an English teacher and briefly as a real estate agent.