State Senate candidate gets endorsement from former education leader in crowded race
State Senate candidate and former state insurance commissioner Dave Jones has won the support of former state education leader and lawmaker Tom Torlakson in his bid for the Sacramento-area seat.
Jones announced the endorsement in a statement Tuesday. Torlakson served as State Superintendent of Public Instruction from 2011 to 2019, and previously served as both a state senator and assemblyman.
Torlakson offered his endorsement in a statement issued by Jones’ campaign, citing Jones’ support for public education.
“Dave Jones has his priorities in the right order. He understands that public education is the bedrock on which California’s future will be built,” Torlakson said. “I know that in the state Senate, he will work to make sure our classrooms and schools get the funding and resources they need.”
Jones, of Sacramento, is competing in a crowded field for the open seat in State Senate District 6. State Sen. Richard Pan, D-Sacramento, holds the seat which expires in 2022.
Jones, a Democrat, faces Sacramento Councilwoman Angelique Ashby, who represents Natomas; south Sacramento councilman Eric Guerra; and Tecoy Porter of Elk Grove, lead pastor of Genesis Church in Sacramento’s Meadowview neighborhood.
Ashby was endorsed by the incumbent Pan; Porter recently won the endorsement of California Secretary of State Shirley Weber.
State Senate District 6 includes Sacramento, Elk Grove, West Sacramento and parts of Sacramento County.
The political veteran Jones was a Sacramento City Council member from 1999 to 2004. He was elected to the Assembly from Sacramento, serving from 2004 through 2010 before becoming state insurance commissioner, where he earned a reputation as an aggressive regulator and consumer advocate.
Jones waged an unsuccessful campaign in 2015 for state attorney general before announcing his run for state Senate this spring.
This story was originally published July 20, 2021 at 10:42 AM.
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