Brian Goldsmith has won the endorsement of Ellen Evans, a civil rights advocate and neighborhood leader who ran against him in the primary for California's 24th State Senate District. She is the first primary challenger to weigh in on the general election.
"California is facing extraordinary challenges, yet too often our government falls short not because we lack good intentions, but because we fail to execute," Evans said in a statement. She said she was backing Goldsmith because of his integrity and respect for constituents. "We won't agree on every issue, but that's not the point. I believe Brian will approach this job with humility, seriousness, and a determination to make government work better for the people of California."
Goldsmith called Evans "an exemplary community leader, a candidate of substance and integrity, and a trailblazer for LGBTQ rights," adding that he looked forward to working with her through the general election and as a collaborator afterward.
Evans has spent decades in the district as an activist, beginning during the AIDS crisis with protests for LGBTQ+ equality and women's rights. In 2008, she and her wife, Laura Brill, were among the couples who married in California shortly before the passage of Proposition 8, prompting her to join the board of the Equality California Institute. She co-founded the Doheny Sunset Plaza Neighborhood Association in 2017 and serves as vice president of her local Neighborhood Council.
Running for office for the first time, Goldsmith has drawn endorsements from a range of officials including Secretary Hillary Rodham Clinton, Speaker Emerita Nancy Pelosi, retired Sen. Barbara Boxer and Secretary Pete Buttigieg, along with local mayors, council members and law enforcement, gun-safety and labor organizations. His campaign says it has support from more than 150 leaders and organizations in the open race to succeed Sen. Ben Allen in 2026.
Goldsmith is a small-business owner, award-winning journalist and Democratic consultant who shared in an Alfred I. duPont Award for political reporting during his time at CBS News. A Los Angeles native and graduate of Harvard College and Stanford Law School, he lives in the district with his wife, Claire, and their two children.
More information is available at BrianGoldsmith.com.
Edited by SMDP Staff