Updated 2/9/16, with a comment from Jerry Kern…
Rocky Chávez, the sitting 76th District Assemblyman, tonight threw in the towel on a U.S. Senate bid that for months everyone seemingly besides him thought was a really stupid idea, instead announcing he would seek reelection to his own seat, several months after two credible GOP candidates started campaigning to succeed him.
Although insiders for weeks have been assured by the campaigns of Republican candidates Jerry Kern and Phil Graham that Chávez had committed to not doing exactly what he ended up doing tonight, one consultant reacted with, “It’s Rocky being Rocky. They should have known.”
“I am getting together with my team and evaluating this unanticipated and surprising announcement,” said Kern. “I haven’t made any decisions yet.”
More from Christopher Cadelago at the SacBee, including video of the Chávez announcement from this evening’s Carl DeMaio radio show…
“Republican Assemblyman Rocky Chávez is ending his cash-strapped bid for the U.S. Senate and will instead campaign for re-election to the Legislature.
“Chávez formally announced his intentions at the start of a Monday evening radio debate on KOGO-AM in San Diego, then walked off stage. In an interview earlier Monday with The Sacramento Bee, Chávez pointed to the difficulties he faced raising money over the last 11 months, saying he relied heavily on personal funds of late to keep the campaign running.”