The number of candidates in Irvine’s District 2 city council race is lighter by one candidate. Alex Mohajer, who lost a March primary to Josh Newman for State Senate, has suspended his campaign for Irvine City Council.
He released this statement on social media:
To my friends, supporters, and fellow Democrats,
Last week, I was deeply moved by President Biden’s courageous and patriotic decision to not seek re-election and give way to the extraordinary and historic candidacy of Kamala Harris. Many of you may not know, but I worked for a year on Hillary Clinton’s 2016 presidential campaign, and sat on the floor of the Javits Center in New York City on Election Night with my heart in my hands.
It is clear to me that we must do everything in our power to prevent a second Donald Trump presidency and to protect our country from authoritarianism. Everything is on the line. Reproductive freedoms and LGBTQ+ rights are on the line. The communities I have been fighting for since I was a teenager are on the line. Our very democracy is on the line.
Which is why I have decided to suspend my campaign for Irvine City Council and to devote the next 100 days to electing our first female president. I have been invited to join Unite Here in Arizona, a crucial swing state, and will be working to organize and mobilize volunteers to join the ground game in that state.We have many candidates running in District 2. It’s a crowded field. At present, the risk that Democrats split the vote and usher in a City Councilmember who does not reflect our values is too great, and while I am eager and had hoped to serve my hometown on the Council dais, I also recognize that this race is not where I am needed right now.
To those who believe in and have supported me, thank you for trusting me to be your voice, know that I will always continue to look for ways to serve, and will even consider a future City Council run. But for now, I plan to travel to Arizona throughout the months of August, September, and October to devote my energy to this presidential race. I hope you will join me in working to elect Democrats up and down the ballot this November, and to deliver to President Harris a Democratic majority in the House of Representatives.
With gratitude,
Alex Mohajer