State Sen. Angelique Ashby is seeking re‑election in California’s 8th Senate District, which covers much of Sacramento and parts of Elk Grove, and she is doing it with a sizable financial head start. She raised roughly $668,000 in 2025, while her Republican and third‑party challengers have brought in far less. The contest is already being defined by homelessness policy after Ashby authored SB 802, a proposal to reorganize how the region delivers housing and homeless services. Ashby will face Republican Susan A. Mason and Peace and Freedom candidate Linda “LR” Roberts in the June primary.
Homelessness Bill Drives The Race
Ashby’s SB 802 would retool the Sacramento Housing and Redevelopment Agency into a new Sacramento Area Housing and Homelessness Agency with authority to coordinate and administer federal, state and local homelessness funding and programs, as detailed in the Assembly committee analysis. The Assembly analysis lays out a plan to consolidate governing authority, coordinate the Continuum of Care and centralize fund distribution.
Ashby’s office argues the change is meant to streamline services and improve access to state funding. Her Senate office has said the region needs a single accountable body to move the needle on homelessness, but local mayors and county officials raised strong objections and helped push the measure onto a pause while Ashby consults stakeholders, as reported by local coverage of the backlash. CapRadio
Money and Name Recognition
Campaign filings show Ashby has outraised the field, with state campaign trackers putting total contributions for the District 8 race at roughly $668,000 through the end of 2025. Transparency USA reports those totals.
Reporting and public filings reviewed by The Sacramento Bee also name several notable donors to Ashby’s 2025 effort, including tech backers and labor groups such as Reed Hastings, Faculty for Our University’s Future and the United Nurses Association of California. The same reporting notes that her challengers have had little visible fundraising. Linda “LR” Roberts recorded no donations in 2025, and Republican Susan A. Mason had not set up a campaign committee by the end of that year, according to state records cited by that outlet.
Who’s On The Ballot And What’s At Stake
The 8th District is anchored in Sacramento and includes suburbs such as Elk Grove, making homelessness and housing affordability perennial voter concerns in the seat. Ballotpedia lists Angelique Ashby (D), Susan A. Mason (R) and Linda “LR” Roberts (Peace and Freedom) as the principal names on the June ballot.
Ashby’s biography shows a long local resume, including 12 years on the Sacramento City Council and a Juris Doctor from the University of the Pacific’s McGeorge School of Law, credentials she is using to argue for structural fixes to the region’s homeless response. Sen. Ashby’s office and a recent interview on KVIE’s Studio Sacramento highlight her argument that the region has already received substantial state funding for homelessness in recent years and still lacks coordinated results. KVIE/PBS
What to watch next: updated fundraising reports and whether SB 802 reappears in amended form are likely to shape the contours of the race more than early name recognition alone. The June primary, part of the statewide 2026 election calendar, will offer the first clear test of whether Ashby’s combination of cash and a homelessness policy agenda keeps challengers competitive in a district centered on the state capital.
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