By SDCNN Staff
State Sen. Marty Block announced via his Facebook page on Thursday that he was no longer going to seek re-election to the District 39 seat, leaving Toni G. Atkins the heavy favorite to win the Democratic nomination.
Atkins, the outgoing Assembly Speaker who is termed out, has said that she was running for the Senate seat because Block had promised her that he would only serve one term. Block apparently changed his mind over the summer, before withdrawing on Jan. 28.
“We have obtained the endorsements of the majority of Democratic Clubs that have weighed in on the race and we feel that we have the number of delegates we would need to secure the Democratic Party endorsement.
“That said, our debates repeatedly demonstrated that Speaker Atkins and I have very similar progressive positions on issues. It logically follows that we can best advance a progressive Democratic agenda both in San Diego and in the Capitol by working together. In the last few days since our most recent debates, this has become clear to me. Therefore, this morning I announced on the Senate floor that I will not file for re-election next month.
“As a loyal Democrat and elected official fighting alongside you for 30 years, my priority is to ensure that our values and policies are moving forward. I remain committed to serving as your State Senator this year with an aggressive legislative agenda to combat human trafficking, secure additional education funding, protect our environment, assist our homeless population, and more.”
As of press time, the office of Speaker Atkins has not issued a statement.
The California Primary Election is June 7.
