Audrey Denney Announces Candidacy in CA-01 Special Election
Rooted in Northern California, Denney steps up to fight for communities left without a voice
CHICO, CA – Northern California deserves representation that shows up, especially when times are hard. Today, Audrey Denney announced that she will run in the special election for California’s First Congressional District to ensure North State communities are no longer left without a voice in Washington. Denney will run in the special election and simultaneously continue her campaign through the 2026 primary and general election to deliver the consistent, people-first leadership Northern California deserves.“For 20 years, I’ve lived and worked in Northern California,” Denney said. “I’ve stood with families through wildfires and recovery, healthcare closures and crises, economic uncertainty, and rural neglect. I’ve never believed in walking away when things get tough, and I’m not about to start now.”With the district currently without a voice in Congress, communities across rural and Northern California are being left out of critical conversations about affordability, healthcare access, wildfire resilience, and economic stability. Denney says that absence makes this moment even more urgent.“When our district doesn’t have a seat at the table, decisions still get made, but not with us in mind,” Denney said. “The fight cannot wait until November. Northern California deserves a representative who understands our rural communities, fights for affordability, and answers only to the people who live here.”Denney is an educator, nonprofit leader, and expert in agriculture and food systems who has run strong, grassroots campaigns in the district before, raising millions without ever accepting corporate PAC money and cutting Republican margins to historic lows.“I’ve never taken corporate PAC money, and I never will,” Denney said. “This campaign is about service, integrity, and accountability to real people, not political insiders or wealthy donors.”###
About Audrey
Audrey Denney (D) is an educator and nonprofit leader running for Congress to represent California’s First District. Rooted in Northern California, Audrey has spent her career fighting for working families, rural communities, and food security at home and abroad. She bartended to pay for college at Chico State, then began a career as a teacher before moving into nonprofit leadership focused on community resilience and food access. Audrey refuses corporate PAC money and believes politics should be about service, integrity, and people, not partisanship. With fair maps and growing grassroots momentum in a district that is poised to flip red-to-blue, she’s running to finally deliver the real representation Northern California families deserve. Learn more at www.AudreyforCongress.com.
