More former members of Congress win election for lower office this year

Democratic former Reps. Laura Richardson (who left the House in 2013) and Jerry McNerney (who didn’t seek reelection in 2022) were both elected to the California state Senate this year. They’ll represent more people than when they served in the House (close to 1 million constituents versus around 760,000).  

“It’s prestige. You get to enjoy a lot of things,” McNerney recalled about his 16 years in Congress.

But he’s optimistic about his tenure in Sacramento, where he was sworn in earlier this month.

“You have a lot more personal freedom to do legislation. It’s a lot more rewarding because it’s up to you to do it,” McNerney said. “In Washington, a lot of work comes from committees and has to go through leadership.”

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