SACRAMENTO – On Saturday, January 31st, the California Democratic Party is launching a statewide texting campaign to recruit hundreds of Democrats to run for local office, with a focus in rural areas where GOP incumbents often run uncontested. This is CADEM’s fifth cycle participating in this national campaign by Contest Every Race to ensure that no Republican goes unchallenged.
The California Democratic Party is partnering with County Democratic Parties and Contest Every Race again to launch this program as evidence continues to build that more Democrats running in local elections boosts Democratic voter turnout and enthusiasm, which is key to ensuring Democrats win targeted congressional races and take back the House of Representatives in November.
The 2026 candidate recruitment program is targeting 348 local down-ballot races across the following 33 counties: Alameda, Amador, Butte, El Dorado, Glenn, Humboldt, Imperial, Kings, Lake, Lassen, Madera, Mendocino, Mono, Monterey, Napa, Nevada, Placer, Plumas, Riverside, Sacramento, San Bernardino, San Mateo, Santa Barbara, Santa Clara, Sierra, Siskiyou, Solano, Stanislaus, Tehama, Tulare, Tuolumne, Ventura and Yuba.
“We’re proud to partner with Contest Every Race to recruit strong Democrats in every corner of the state who will deliver for Californians,” said Yvette Martinez, Executive Director of the California Democratic Party. “We know that electing Democrats at the local level delivers real results for working families—from good paying jobs and affordable housing to stronger schools and accessible health care. By building power locally, we’re strengthening our democracy and ensuring opportunity is within reach for every Californian.”
The California Democratic Party is the largest state party in the nation with more than 10 million members, and helped deliver a resounding victory for Proposition 50 in last year’s Special Election.
