Rhodesia Ransom
American politician
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Rhodesia Ransom is an American politician who is a member of the California State Assembly for the 13th district, based in Stockton. A Democrat, she previously served on the Tracy City Council.
Golden Gate University (MPA)
Rhodesia Ransom | |
|---|---|
 Official portrait, 2024 | |
| Member of the California State Assembly from the 13th district | |
| Assumed office December 2, 2024 | |
| Preceded by | Carlos Villapudua |
| Personal details | |
| Party | Democratic |
| Education | San Francisco State University (BA) Golden Gate University (MPA) |
Early life and education
Ransom grew up in San Francisco and graduated from San Francisco State University with a Bachelor of Arts in political science and from Golden Gate University with a Master of Public Administration.[1]
Career
Ransom previously served on the Tracy City Council.[citation needed]
She ran for San Joaquin County Board of Supervisors in 2020, narrowly losing in the general election to Robert Rickman.[2] In 2022, Ransom was elected to serve as one of 30 representatives for California to the Democratic National Committee.[3]
California Assembly campaign
Ransom initially ran for the 5th district of the California State Senate, the seat of term-limited incumbent Susan Talamantes Eggman. She was endorsed by the California Democratic Party and faced realtor Edith Villapudua, wife of moderate Assemblymember Carlos Villapudua. However, the couple switched races on the day before California's candidate filing deadline, with Carlos running for Senate and Edith running for his Assembly seat.[4] The move was characterized as a ploy to better each of their electoral prospects; however it drove former U.S. Representative Jerry McNerney to join the Senate race and Ransom to also switch into the Assembly election.[5][6] Despite the last-minute switch, Ransom defeated Edith and McNerney defeated Carlos in their respective elections.[7]
Electoral history
Tracy City Council
San Joaquin County Board of Supervisors
| Primary election | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Candidate | Votes | % | ||
| Robert Rickman | 13,325 | 42.13 | ||
| Rhodesia Ransom | 9,332 | 29.51 | ||
| Veronica Vargas | 5,804 | 18.35 | ||
| Mateo Morelos Bedolla | 3,074 | 9.72 | ||
| Write-in | 93 | 0.29 | ||
| Total votes | 31,628 | 100.00 | ||
| General election | ||||
| Robert Rickman | 34,180 | 50.52 | ||
| Rhodesia Ransom | 33,470 | 49.48 | ||
| Total votes | 67,650 | 100.00 | ||
California State Assembly
| Primary election | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
| Democratic | Rhodesia Ransom | 27,255 | 41.6 | |
| Republican | Denise Aguilar Mendez | 24,823 | 37.9 | |
| Democratic | Edith Villapudua | 13,415 | 20.5 | |
| Total votes | 65,493 | 100.0 | ||
| General election | ||||
| Democratic | Rhodesia Ransom | 78,071 | 56.9 | |
| Republican | Denise Aguilar Mendez | 59,237 | 43.1 | |
| Total votes | 137,308 | 100.0 | ||
| Democratic hold | ||||
Personal life
Ransom lives in Tracy, California.[citation needed]