{"id":272349,"date":"2026-04-17T09:20:14","date_gmt":"2026-04-17T09:20:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/272349\/"},"modified":"2026-04-17T09:20:14","modified_gmt":"2026-04-17T09:20:14","slug":"redrawn-california-1st-district-shifts-democratic-advantage","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/272349\/","title":{"rendered":"Redrawn California 1st District shifts Democratic advantage"},"content":{"rendered":"

California\u2019s 1st Congressional District<\/a> in Northern California has changed\u2026 a lot.<\/p>\n

It will no longer be safely Republican thanks to Proposition 50,<\/a> which redrew California\u2019s congressional districts to favor Democrats with the approval of state voters last November.<\/p>\n

You could say the California 1st District was one of the main targets of the state\u2019s mid-decade redistricting effort led by Gov. Gavin Newsom,<\/a> who sold it to voters as protection against President Donald Trump\u2019s<\/a> efforts to gerrymander red state districts in order to preserve a slim GOP majority in the House of Representatives.<\/p>\n

As currently drawn, the 1st District runs from the Oregon-California border and through Sutter County before stopping just north of the Sacramento International Airport. But thanks to Prop. 50 and starting in January, the new 1st District will stretch west through Sonoma County. It will still include Red Bluff and Chico, but not Redding, Yuba City, Colusa or Live Oak.<\/p>\n

The district will also include wine region cities such as Santa Rosa and Healdsburg, which is also the hometown of California state Senator Mike McGuire.<\/a><\/p>\n

The former Democratic leader of the Senate is running in two races for the 1st District: a special election to complete the term of Doug LaMalfa<\/a>, who represented the old 1st District before dying in January. McGuire is also running for a full term in the new 1st District.<\/p>\n

McGuire earns our endorsement for the full term because he understands the needs of communities he served as a Sonoma County Supervisor before being elected to the Legislature. We also endorse McGuire in the special election because we like his experience and knowledge. In addition, McGuire\u2019s primary opponent, Assemblymember James Gallagher, R-Yuba City, would not meet with us and by policy we don\u2019t endorse candidates who won\u2019t meet with us.<\/p>\n

It is likely that Gallagher could prevail in the special election because Republican voters outnumber Democrats as the district is currently drawn. If no candidate in the special election exceeds 50% of the vote, there would be a runoff election on Aug. 4. The winner would only serve a few months until LaMalfa\u2019s term ends on Jan. 3.<\/p>\n

For the full congressional term in the redrawn 1st District, the math changes considerably.<\/p>\n

Redistricting expert and Democratic data analyst Paul Mitchell, who helped create the new districts, said the new 1st District has moved a whopping 37 points in favor of Democratic registration.<\/p>\n

\u201cDonald Trump won the old district by 25 points,\u201d Mitchell said in a text, \u201cand Kamala Harris won the new district by 12.\u201d<\/p>\n

Our endorsement interview consisted of the top two Democratic candidates in the race, McGuire and Audrey Denney, an educator and community advocate who unsuccessfully ran for the old 1st District in 2018 and 2020. Denney has raised nearly $330,000 for her campaign, and McGuire has raised more than $450,000.<\/p>\n

(Other candidates include Democrats James Salegui, a progressive from Mount Shasta, and Kyle Wilson, a Santa Rosa-based labor attorney; and Republican Angelita Valles, a former Victorville city councilmember.)<\/p>\n

McGuire correctly gauged the mood of California Democrats, who are frustrated with the party\u2019s inability to stop some of the Trump administration\u2019s most unpopular policies, and he spoke candidly about his party\u2019s missteps:<\/p>\n

\u201c(I) believe that Democrats need to grow a damn spine in this country,\u201d McGuire said, \u201cto stand up and deliver on the issues that everyday Americans care so deeply about, to call out Donald Trump (and) to be able to call out the sycophants in Congress.\u201d<\/p>\n

He also expressed an affinity for the concerns of rural California. McGuire believes in increased Medicaid reimbursement rates for rural hospitals and health centers, and is proposing to double the number of doctors, by expanding rural residency programs. McGuire also mentioned his desire to create a $300 million \u201cdistressed hospital fund\u201d in California to reopen hospitals that have been closed, and expand behavioral health services in rural counties, particularly for young people and Native American communities.<\/p>\n

McGuire, 46, comes from a family of farmers. He served on the Healdsburg City Council, giving him experience at the city level, the county level as a supervisor and the state level as a senator and senate leader. He has enjoyed a strong environmental scorecard during his time in Legislature and helped pass legislation in response to the Los Angeles fires.<\/p>\n

We believe McGuire\u2019s experience makes him the right choice for voters in the North State.<\/p>\n

BEHIND THE STORY MORE <\/a> What are editorials, and who writes them? <\/p>\n

Editorials represent the collective views of the editorial boards of McClatchy Media\u2019s California opinion teams.<\/p>\n

They do not reflect the individual opinions of board members or the views of reporters in the news sections of The Sacramento Bee and its sister publication, the San Luis Obispo Tribune. Reporters do not participate in editorial board deliberations or weigh in on board decisions.<\/p>\n

In Sacramento, the board includes Executive Editor Chris Fusco, California Opinion Editor Marcos Breton, opinion writers Robin Epley, Tom Philp, LeBron Antonio Hill, Cathie Anderson and op-ed editor Hannah Holzer.<\/p>\n

In San Luis Obispo, it includes Opinion Editor Stephanie Finucane.<\/p>\n

We base our opinions on reporting by our colleagues in the news section, and our own reporting and interviews. Our members attend public meetings, call people and follow-up on story ideas from readers just as news reporters do.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Read more by clicking the arrow in the upper right.<\/p>\n

Tell us what you think <\/p>\n

You may or may not agree with our perspective. We believe disagreement is healthy and necessary for a functioning democracy. If you would like to share your own views on events important to California, you may write a letter to the editor (150 words or less) using this form<\/a>, or email an op-ed (650-750 words) to opinion@sacbee.com<\/a>. Due to a high volume of submissions, we are not able to publish everything we receive.<\/p>\n

This story was originally published April 16, 2026 at 5:00 AM.<\/p>\n

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