Chico Democrat Audrey Denney says she’s proud of the campaign she ran, even as early election results suggest her third bid for Congress is coming to an end.
Denney was trailing in both contests for California’s 1st Congressional District Tuesday night.
In the special election to fill the remainder of the late Doug LaMalfa’s term, Republican Assemblyman James Gallagher appeared on track to win outright. In the regular primary for the newly redrawn district created under Proposition 50, Denney was running third behind Gallagher and Democratic state Sen. Mike McGuire.
Despite the results, Denney said she remains committed to the issues that motivated her campaigns.
“I'm incredibly proud of the fact that every day since I started running for public office in 2017 I've been fighting for working-class people,” Denney said.
“Stay as connected as you can to the people who are experiencing the consequences of the choices that you make as a leader.”- Audrey Denney, Politician
This was Denney’s third run for the congressional seat. She challenged LaMalfa in 2020 and 2022.
As the election cycle draws to a close, Denney said her campaign was about more than a single race.
“This campaign has always been about making it easier for people that are younger than me to rise to positions of power, to rise to leadership, making it easier for women that are younger than me to come into positions of power,” Denney said.
Denney spent election night at home with friends and family rather than at a public watch party.
Looking ahead, Denney said her advice to whoever ultimately wins the seat is to listen to the people affected by their decisions.
“Stay as connected as you can to the people who are experiencing the consequences of the choices that you make as a leader,” Denney said.
She said understanding the real-world impacts of government decisions is essential to effective leadership.
