Prop. 50 Musical Chairs - Rep. Bera to Switch District 3 Race, Pan for 6th District; Kiley Undecided
Bera won his first election in 2012 against former California Attorney General and Congressman Dan Lungren by a razor-thin margin
One of the immediate effects of California's Proposition 50 is a game of musical chairs for Sacramento-area Democratic congressional candidates.
Not long after networks called the Proposition 50 Yes victory, Congressman Ami Bera announced that he would switch districts and run for California's 3rd Congressional District against Republican Congressman Kevin Kiley. Bera currently represents the 6th District.
Former California State Senator and Assemblymember Dr. Richard Pan, who had previously announced his candidacy against Kiley, said he would now run for the 6th District.
Bera won his first election in 2012 against former California Attorney General and Congressman Dan Lungren by a razor-thin margin in a newly drawn district that included all of Elk Grove. In 2010, Bera narrowly lost to Lungren in a district with a higher proportion of rural areas.
In 2014, Bera won another close race against former Sacramento-area Congressman Doug Ose, and had a slightly larger margin in 2016 against former Sacramento County Sheriff Scott Jones.
Given Bera's experience in razor-thin races, the party establishment may have encouraged the switch. Pan won his Senate seat in 2014 in a close race against former Democratic Assemblymember and current Sacramento City Councilmember Roger Dickinson, but faced only token reelection resistance before being termed out of the State Senate.
The newly drawn 3rd District removes much of the conservative rural area south of Lake Tahoe along the Nevada border. It now includes suburban portions of Sacramento and Placer County that are more moderate than the District's current configuration.
For his part, Kiley, who initially was thought to seek the 3rd District position, has demurred what district he will seek reelection to.
