Rusty Hicks
Rusty Hicks (Democratic Party) ran for election to the California State Assembly to represent District 2. He lost in the primary on March 5, 2024.
Hicks completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2024. Click here to read the survey answers.
Biography
Rusty Hicks served in the U.S. Navy. He earned a bachelor's degree from Austin College and a law degree from Loyola Law School. His career experience includes working as an educator. Hicks was a member of the American Federation of Teachers from 2008 to 2019.[1]
Elections
2024
See also: California State Assembly elections, 2024
General election
General election for California State Assembly District 2
Chris Rogers and Michael Greer are running in the general election for California State Assembly District 2 on November 5, 2024.
Candidate | ||
 | Chris Rogers (D)  | |
 | Michael Greer (R) | |
| ||||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
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Nonpartisan primary election
Nonpartisan primary for California State Assembly District 2
The following candidates ran in the primary for California State Assembly District 2 on March 5, 2024.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Michael Greer (R) | 27.6 | 39,052 |
| ✔ | | Chris Rogers (D) | 19.3 | 27,291 |
 | Rusty Hicks (D) | 18.3 | 25,962 | |
 | Ariel Kelley (D) | 14.0 | 19,740 | |
 | Frankie Myers (D) | 12.8 | 18,065 | |
 | Ted Williams (D) | 6.9 | 9,803 | |
| Cynthia Click (D) | 1.1 | 1,575 | |
| Total votes: 141,488 | |||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
| If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team. | ||||
Campaign finance
Endorsements
To view Hicks's endorsements as published by their campaign, click here. To send us an endorsement, click here.
Campaign themes
2024
Video for Ballotpedia
| Video submitted to Ballotpedia Released January 30, 2024 |
Ballotpedia survey responses
See also: Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection
Rusty Hicks completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2024. The survey questions appear in bold and are followed by Hicks' responses. Candidates are asked three required questions for this survey, but they may answer additional optional questions as well.
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Democrat Rusty Hicks has a proven track record of delivering real results for real people. Now that Assemblymember Jim Wood is leaving the State Legislature, Rusty is the candidate who can step up and be effective on day one—standing up for the people and environment of the North Coast.
Rusty Hicks is a proven union organizer and leader, educator, veteran, and currently serves as the Chair of the California Democratic Party. Rusty helped pass the constitutional amendment protecting a woman’s right to choose, build affordable housing, create quality jobs, and get better wages and safer conditions for workers.
Rusty is supported by outgoing Assemblymember Jim Wood, Governor Gavin Newsom, former local State Senator Wesley Chesbro, Labor Leader and Civil Rights Icon Dolores Huerta, California Professional Firefighters, the California Association of Teachers, the California Federation of Teachers, the California Labor Federation, United Nurses Associations of California, National Union of Healthcare Workers, Equality California, and more than 20 local unions.
- As a labor leader and organizer, Rusty helped lead the campaign that increased the minimum wage for a million workers. He’s delivering real results for working people by strengthening unions and creating good jobs across the state.
- Rusty — who is a veteran of the U.S. Navy Reserves and served in Afghanistan — is an effective advocate for veterans who need job and career opportunities, affordable housing, and the medical and mental health care they deserve.
- An Associate Professor at College of the Redwoods, Rusty teaches at Pelican Bay State Prison and started a program to help formerly incarcerated people get union jobs after they served their time. Because he believes in the power of a second chance.
As our Assemblymember, Rusty will fight to:
Protect our air, water, and coastline. That’s why he’s endorsed by Assemblymember Jim Wood, and environmental pioneers including former State Legislators Wesley Chesbro and Patty Berg.
Expand healthcare access in rural communities and improve the quality of care everywhere. That’s why he’s supported by the United Nurses Associations of California.
Reduce the threat and impacts of wildfires, including those connected to climate change. That’s why he’s supported by the California Professional Firefighters.
Make food, gas, and housing more affordable. That’s why Rusty is supported by more than 20 local unions, the California Federation of Labor, and the Humboldt-Del Norte Building Trades Council.
I am a dedicated labor leader, organizer, classroom educator, and military veteran. My upbringing, shaped by a single mother's struggles, taught me the core values of hard work, service, and sacrifice—values that guide my work today. As a labor leader, I led successful campaigns to improve wages for nearly a million workers, promote affordable housing, and create quality jobs for local communities. As a believer in second chances, I initiated programs to help formerly incarcerated individuals secure union jobs. As an Associate Professor at the College of the Redwoods, I share my 20 years of firsthand experience, teaching American Government to incarcerated students at Pelican Bay State Prison. With over a decade of service as a U.S. Navy Reserve Intelligence Officer, including a deployment in Afghanistan, I understand the needs of veterans and their families. I live in Arcata, Humboldt with my wife Sandra and our chocolate Labrador, Charlie. My life experiences underscore my commitment to improving the lives of working people, fostering education, and supporting our military community.
At 14-years old, Rusty attended his father’s graduation when he earned a high school diploma while incarcerated. This moment had a profound impact on them both.
Nearly 30 years later, Rusty serves as an Associate Professor at College of the Redwoods and teaches American Government to incarcerated students at Pelican Bay State Prison. Each week, he brings more than 20 years of firsthand experience to the classroom to share the story of our Nation's founding, and the many challenges and opportunities we face. This work informs Rusty's belief in the power of a second chance and a quality education for all.
Individually, I am proud to be endorsed by Civil Rights icon and labor leader Dolores Huerta, Former Senator and Assemblymember Wes Chesbro, Former Assemblymember Patty Berg. I’m also endorsed by Governor Gavin Newsom and Assemblymember Jim Wood.
Organizationally, I am proud to be endorsed by the California Labor Federation, California Teachers Association, SEIU California, California Federation of Teachers, California Professional Firefighters, the United Nurses Association, Equality California and many others.
Note: Ballotpedia reserves the right to edit Candidate Connection survey responses. Any edits made by Ballotpedia will be clearly marked with [brackets] for the public. If the candidate disagrees with an edit, he or she may request the full removal of the survey response from Ballotpedia.org. Ballotpedia does not edit or correct typographical errors unless the candidate's campaign requests it.
Campaign finance summary
Note: The finance data shown here comes from the disclosures required of candidates and parties. Depending on the election or state, this may represent only a portion of all the funds spent on their behalf. Satellite spending groups may or may not have expended funds related to the candidate or politician on whose page you are reading this disclaimer. Campaign finance data from elections may be incomplete. For elections to federal offices, complete data can be found at the FEC website. Click here for more on federal campaign finance law and here for more on state campaign finance law.
See also
2024 Elections
External links
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Candidate California State Assembly District 2 |
Personal |
Footnotes
- ↑ Information submitted to Ballotpedia through the Candidate Connection survey on February 3, 2024
