Brian Dwain Dahle[1] (born September 20, 1965) is an American politician and farmer who served as a member of the California State Senate from the 1st district from 2019 to 2024.[2] A member of the Republican Party, Dahle served as a member of the California State Assembly from the 1st district from 2012 to 2019, and as Assembly minority leader from 2017 to 2018. Before his election to the state legislature, Dahle served on the Lassen County Board of Supervisors from 1997 to 2012.[3]
Brian Dahle | |
|---|---|
| Member of the California State Senate from the 1st district | |
| In office June 12, 2019 – November 30, 2024 | |
| Preceded by | Ted Gaines |
| Succeeded by | Megan Dahle |
| Minority Leader of the California Assembly | |
| In office September 16, 2017 – November 8, 2018 | |
| Preceded by | Chad Mayes |
| Succeeded by | Marie Waldron |
| Member of the California State Assembly from the 1st district | |
| In office December 3, 2012 – June 12, 2019 | |
| Preceded by | Jim Nielsen |
| Succeeded by | Megan Dahle |
| Member of the Lassen County Board of Supervisors from the 4th district | |
| In office January 14, 1997 – November 27, 2012 | |
| Preceded by | Gary Lemke |
| Succeeded by | Aaron Albaugh |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Brian Dwain Dahle September 20, 1965 Redding, California, U.S. |
| Political party | Republican |
| Spouse | |
| Children | 3 |
| Website | |
On June 4, 2019, Dahle won a special election to fill the State Senate seat vacated by Ted Gaines, who resigned after his election to the California State Board of Equalization.[4] After Dahle joined the State Senate, his wife Megan Dahle was elected to his vacated Assembly seat.
Dahle was the Republican nominee for governor of California in 2022. He was defeated by incumbent Democrat Gavin Newsom.[5]
Early life and education
editDescended from Tule Lake homesteaders and the son and grandson of farmers, Dahle was born in Redding and grew up in rural Lassen County.[6] His grandfather was a World War I veteran who won his family farm in Bieber in a lottery during the Great Depression.[7]
Dahle grew up poor with an alcoholic father and graduated from Big Valley High School in Bieber.[8] Unable to afford college, he tried his hand at farming, but lost money in the attempt. To pay back debts, he took a job at a lumber mill, and later at hydroelectric plants.[7] He also worked in construction for several years, including in a gold mine, and eventually began a seed business, which he owns to this day.[9]
Career
editLassen County Board of Supervisors
editDahle won his first election to the Lassen County Board of Supervisors in 1996, beating a popular teacher.[9] He was reelected in 2000, 2004, and 2008. He represented District 4 on the board.[citation needed]
Dahle served one-year terms as chairman of the board in 1998, 2002, 2007, and 2012. He left his seat early on November 27, 2012, in order to take office in the Assembly the following week.[citation needed]
California State Assembly
editDahle was first elected to the California State Assembly for the 1st district with 65% of the vote in November 2012,[10] and reelected in 2014, 2016, and 2018. He was appointed vice chair of the Assembly Environmental and Toxic Materials Committee, the Revenue and Taxation Committee, and the Natural Resources Committee. He also served as a member of the following committees: Agriculture; Water, Parks and Wildlife; Privacy and Consumer Protection; Utilities and Commerce; Fisheries and Aquaculture; Insurance; and Business and Professions.[citation needed]
In 2018, Assembly Speaker Anthony Rendon appointed Dahle to the Subcommittee on Sexual Harassment Prevention and Response, which works to improve services for Capitol staff. In the Assembly, Dahle was known for writing and passing a number of bipartisan bills under Governor Jerry Brown.[citation needed]
Dahle's Republican colleagues elected him minority leader on August 24, 2017. He served in that role from September 16, 2017, to November 8, 2018.[citation needed]
Dahle resigned from the Assembly on June 12, 2019, after winning a special election to the California State Senate. His wife Megan Dahle was elected to succeed him in the Assembly in a special election.[citation needed]
California State Senate
editAfter Ted Gaines resigned, Dahle won a special election to replace him in the California State Senate and took office on June 12, 2019.[2] He was reelected in 2020 with 57.7% of the vote.[citation needed]
Dahle serves as vice chair of the Senate Energy, Utilities, and Communications Committee. He also serves on the following committees: Banking and Financial Institutions; Budget and Fiscal Review; Education; Environmental Quality; and Transportation.[citation needed]
Caucus memberships
edit2022 California gubernatorial election
editDahle was the Republican nominee for governor of California in the 2022 election.[11] He placed second in the nonpartisan blanket primary, with 17.5% of the vote.[12]
In September 2022, incumbent Democratic governor Gavin Newsom agreed to face off against Dahle in a single gubernatorial debate, sometime in late October.[13] On October 23, Dahle and Newsom participated in a televised debate, hosted by KQED in San Francisco.[14]
Political positions
editDahle favors a suspension of the California gas tax to address high fuel prices, building more charging stations for electric vehicles, building the proposed Sites Reservoir project, and increasing oil production in California. He also supports rolling back parts of Proposition 47, but opposes jailing marijuana users.[15] He has worked to stop medical patients from getting surprise medical bills from health care providers that are outside their insurance network.[9] To reduce homelessness in California, Dahle supports building more affordable housing and tackling drug abuse. He has criticized Newsom's response to the COVID-19 pandemic and supports streamlining the path to obtaining U.S. citizenship.[16]
Dahle has voted against bills intended to increase access to abortion and has said that abortion's legality will not change in California after the Dobbs v. Jackson Women's Health Organization ruling.[17] He voted for a bill aimed at reducing the cost of contraceptives in California.[9]
Dahle describes himself as a supporter of the Second Amendment. He has voted against SB 1327, legislation that allows private citizens to sue those who illegally sell assault weapons or .50 BMG rifles in California, but supports making it a felony to steal a firearm, and has voted for a bill that would make it easier to confiscate guns from convicted felons.[9]
Controversies
editIn June 2022, Dahle placed the winning bid for a goat named Cedar at the Shasta District Fair auction. However, the goat's owners, including a 9-year-old girl, decided not to proceed with the sale. Dahle agreed to forgo the purchase and supported an alternative resolution, but Shasta District Fair officials pursued the matter and involved law enforcement, resulting in Cedar being seized and slaughtered, despite ongoing efforts by the owners to reach a different outcome. This incident later became the subject of a federal lawsuit. Fair officials tried to hide the identity of the bidder that bought the pet goat and had it slaughtered, but public records showed that the winning bid was placed by State Senator Dahle.[18] The Senator relinquished ownership of the goat and did not have it slaughtered. However, the Shasta District Fair auction claimed ownership of the goat, leading the Sonoma County Sheriff's Office to seize it and had it killed.[19]
Personal life
editDahle is married to Megan Dahle, who holds his former State Assembly seat.[20] They have three children together.[7][9]
Electoral history
editCalifornia State Assembly
edit2012
edit| Primary election | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
| Republican | Brian Dahle | 41,384 | 34.2 | |
| Republican | Rick Bosetti | 34,457 | 28.5 | |
| Democratic | Robert Meacher | 31,120 | 25.8 | |
| Green | David Edwards | 7,381 | 6.1 | |
| Libertarian | Charley Hooper | 6,503 | 5.4 | |
| Total votes | 120,845 | 100.0 | ||
| General election | ||||
| Republican | Brian Dahle | 116,098 | 65.6 | |
| Republican | Rick Bosetti | 60,920 | 34.4 | |
| Total votes | 177,018 | 100.0 | ||
| Republican hold | ||||
2014
edit| Primary election | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
| Republican | Brian Dahle (incumbent) | 65,466 | 69.5 | |
| Democratic | Brigham Sawyer Smith | 28,688 | 30.5 | |
| Total votes | 94,154 | 100.0 | ||
| General election | ||||
| Republican | Brian Dahle (incumbent) | 104,103 | 70.2 | |
| Democratic | Brigham Sawyer Smith | 44,119 | 29.8 | |
| Total votes | 148,222 | 100.0 | ||
| Republican hold | ||||
2016
edit| Primary election | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
| Republican | Brian Dahle (incumbent) | 103,500 | 99.6 | |
| Libertarian | Donn Coenen (write-in) | 446 | 0.4 | |
| Total votes | 103,946 | 100.0 | ||
| General election | ||||
| Republican | Brian Dahle (incumbent) | 148,657 | 73.8 | |
| Libertarian | Donn Coenen | 52,871 | 26.2 | |
| Total votes | 201,528 | 100.0 | ||
| Republican hold | ||||
2018
edit| Primary election | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
| Republican | Brian Dahle (incumbent) | 82,916 | 64.1 | |
| Democratic | Caleen Sisk | 30,902 | 23.9 | |
| Democratic | Peter Van Peborgh | 11,446 | 8.9 | |
| No party preference | Jenny O'Connell-Nowain | 3,987 | 3.1 | |
| No party preference | Jerome B.C. Venus (write-in) | 9 | 0.0 | |
| Total votes | 129,260 | 100.0 | ||
| General election | ||||
| Republican | Brian Dahle (incumbent) | 125,227 | 63.0 | |
| Democratic | Caleen Sisk | 73,449 | 37.0 | |
| Total votes | 198,676 | 100.0 | ||
| Republican hold | ||||
California State Senate
edit2019 (special)
edit| Primary election | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
| Republican | Brian Dahle | 57,725 | 29.6 | |
| Republican | Kevin Kiley | 54,290 | 27.9 | |
| Democratic | Silke Pflueger | 49,164 | 25.2 | |
| Republican | Rex Hime | 18,050 | 9.3 | |
| Democratic | Steve Baird | 10,855 | 5.6 | |
| Republican | Theodore Dziuba | 4,672 | 2.4 | |
| Total votes | 194,756 | 100.0 | ||
| General election | ||||
| Republican | Brian Dahle | 70,556 | 53.1 | |
| Republican | Kevin Kiley | 62,259 | 46.9 | |
| Total votes | 132,815 | 100.0 | ||
| Republican hold | ||||
California Governor
edit2022
edit| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Gavin Newsom (incumbent) | 3,945,728 | 55.9 | |
| Republican | Brian Dahle | 1,252,800 | 17.7 | |
| No party preference | Michael Shellenberger | 290,286 | 4.1 | |
| Republican | Jenny Rae Le Roux | 246,665 | 3.5 | |
| Republican | Anthony Trimino | 246,322 | 3.5 | |
| Republican | Shawn Collins | 173,083 | 2.5 | |
| Green | Luis J. Rodriguez | 124,672 | 1.8 | |
| Republican | Leo S. Zacky | 94,521 | 1.3 | |
| Republican | Major Williams | 92,580 | 1.3 | |
| Republican | Robert C. Newman II | 82,849 | 1.2 | |
| Democratic | Joel Ventresca | 66,885 | 0.9 | |
| Republican | David Lozano | 66,542 | 0.9 | |
| Republican | Ronald A. Anderson | 53,554 | 0.8 | |
| No party preference | Reinette Senum | 53,015 | 0.8 | |
| Democratic | Armando Perez-Serrato | 45,474 | 0.6 | |
| Republican | Ron Jones | 38,337 | 0.5 | |
| Republican | Daniel R. Mercuri | 36,396 | 0.5 | |
| Green | Heather Collins | 29,690 | 0.4 | |
| Democratic | Anthony Fanara | 25,086 | 0.4 | |
| Republican | Cristian Raul Morales | 22,304 | 0.3 | |
| Republican | Lonnie Sortor | 21,044 | 0.3 | |
| No party preference | Frederic C. Schultz | 17,502 | 0.2 | |
| No party preference | Woodrow Sanders III | 16,204 | 0.2 | |
| No party preference | James G. Hanink | 10,110 | 0.1 | |
| No party preference | Serge Fiankan | 6,201 | 0.1 | |
| No party preference | Bradley Zink | 5,997 | 0.1 | |
| American Independent | Jeff Scott (write-in) | 13 | 0.0 | |
| Republican | Gurinder Bhangoo (write-in) | 8 | 0.0 | |
| Total votes | 7,063,868 | 100.0 | ||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Gavin Newsom (incumbent) | 6,470,104 | 59.18% | −2.77 | |
| Republican | Brian Dahle | 4,462,914 | 40.82% | +2.77 | |
| Total votes | 10,933,018 | 100.00% | N/A | ||
| Turnout | 10,933,018 | 50.80% | −12.48 | ||
| Registered electors | 21,940,274 | ||||
References
edit- ^ "JoinCalifornia - Brian D. Dahle". joincalifornia.com. Archived from the original on September 27, 2021.
- ^ a b "Dahle takes oath of office for California Senate District 1". Tahoe Daily Tribune. Associated Press. June 14, 2019.
- ^ "Welcome - Senator Brian Dahle". dahle.cssrc.us. Archived from the original on November 25, 2020. Retrieved October 1, 2022.
- ^ Willon, Phil (June 5, 2019). "In two California Senate special elections, Gonzalez and Dahle are the winners". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved June 10, 2022.
- ^ Sabes, Adam; Spady, Aubrie (November 8, 2022). "California Democrat Gov. Gavin Newsom wins re-election, defeating Brian Dahle: Gov. Gavin Newsom is in his first term as governor of California". Fox News. Retrieved November 9, 2022.
- ^ Hooker, Brad (June 6, 2019). "Six questions for the legislature's top farmer". Agri-Pulse.com. Retrieved March 10, 2022.
- ^ a b c Platcha, Ari (September 23, 2022). "He earned trust in Sacramento, but Californians still don't know Newsom challenger Brian Dahle". The Sacramento Bee.
- ^ Natividad, Ivan (October 25, 2014). "State assembly contest still not much of a race". The Union.
- ^ a b c d e f Beam, Adam (July 5, 2022). "'Something different': California GOP's bid for governor". Associated Press.
- ^ "How California Voted". Newspapers.com. The Sacramento Bee. November 8, 2012. p. A4. Retrieved June 5, 2022.
- ^ Joe Garofoli (February 7, 2022). "Republican state Sen. Brian Dahle to announce challenge to Gavin Newsom". San Francisco Chronicle. Retrieved June 7, 2022.
- ^ Shafer, Scott (June 7, 2022). "Democrat Gavin Newsom to face Republican Brian Dahle in California race for governor". NPR.
- ^ Luna, Taryn (September 16, 2022). "California Politics: Newsom commits to a gubernatorial debate". Los Angeles Times.
- ^ Luna, Taryn; Wiley, Hannah (October 23, 2022). "Newsom trades barbs with Dahle in California's only 2022 gubernatorial debate". Los Angeles Times.
- ^ Alvarado, Kitty (June 22, 2022). "Economist says Biden's gas tax holiday could boost local economy". KPBS.
- ^ The San Diego Union-Tribune Editorial Board (May 15, 2022). "2022 election: Q&A with Brian Dahle, California gubernatorial candidate". The San Diego Union Tribune.
- ^ Bollag, Sophia (June 24, 2022). "These California candidates oppose abortion rights or won't say where they stand". The San Francisco Chronicle. Retrieved June 25, 2022.
- ^ "A 9-year-old girl didn't want her goat slaughtered. California fair officials sent deputies after it". LATimes.com.
- ^ https://krcrtv.com/news/local/shasta-county-paying-hundreds-of-thousands-in-settlement-over-illegally-seized-goat
- ^ Yoon-Hendricks, Alexandra (November 6, 2019). "Republican Megan Dahle defeats Democrat Elizabeth Betancourt for Assembly District 1 seat". The Sacramento Bee.
- ^ Padilla, Alex (February 1, 2019). "Notice to Qualified Candidates" (PDF). State of California.
- ^ "California June 7, 2022 Primary Statement of Vote" (PDF). Retrieved July 16, 2022.
- ^ "General Election - Statement of the Vote, November 8, 2022" (PDF). California Secretary of State. Retrieved December 15, 2022.
- ^ "NOVEMBER 8, 2022, GENERAL ELECTION - VOTER PARTICIPATION STATISTICS BY COUNTY" (PDF). Secretary of State of California. Archived (PDF) from the original on December 19, 2022. Retrieved December 21, 2022.