Jackie Elward

Background

Jackie Elward was born and raised in the Democratic Republic of the Congo and immigrated to the United States in 2003, KQED reports. She holds a bachelor's degree in sociology from California State University, Chico, and a criminal justice degree from Central State University, and she speaks six languages, according to the city. She works as a bilingual educator and instructional assistant at the French American Charter School, is a site representative for CSEA Local 75 and founded the nonprofit Les Enfants Baobab. She has also worked as a labor organizer and was active in local Black Lives Matter demonstrations. She and her husband, a Teamsters organizer, raised three children in the district. She is 47.

In office

Elward won a Rohnert Park council seat in 2020, defeating six-term incumbent Jake Mackenzie, and became the first Black woman elected to the council. Her colleagues chose her as mayor in late 2021. As mayor she pushed to house more homeless residents, the city bought the site of its future downtown, and she worked to strengthen ties with the Graton Rancheria tribe, The Press Democrat reported. She backed a city fireworks ban and has spoken about discrimination she has faced as a Black woman in office. In 2022 she attended the U.N. climate conference in Egypt as part of a Sonoma County delegation. She is now vice mayor, and her council term runs to December 2028.

In 2024 she ran for State Senate District 3, the seat Bill Dodd was leaving, and finished fourth in the March 5 primary with 18.5 percent.

In her Assembly campaign she points to Rohnert Park's progress on homelessness and housing. At a September 30, 2026 forum hosted by The Ark she backed infill housing, accessory dwelling units and urban growth boundaries, said she would protect the California Environmental Quality Act and that developers have too much power, and called for permanent wildfire-prevention funding and a pause on new AI data centers until the state sets environmental, labor and public-interest standards.

Damon Connolly, Assemblymember, District 12, endorsing her to succeed him in the seat he is leaving for a State Senate run, said she will be "a fierce champion on issues and values that matter most to the North Bay" (Marin Independent Journal, via The Press Democrat, August 13, 2026).

On the ballot

Elward placed second in the June 2 Assembly District 12 primary with 22.6 percent, behind Lucan's 28.3 percent and ahead of Republican Eryn Cervantes at 19.4 percent. Assemblymember Damon Connolly, Rep. Mike Thompson and Attorney General Rob Bonta have endorsed her, and labor groups led by the California Labor Federation back her. KQED reported that a labor-funded committee had spent about $1.3 million for her and Grow California nearly $3 million against her and for Lucan. A mailer funded by business groups, including the California Association of Realtors, accused her of using taxpayer money for travel and hotels; Elward said the attacks on her had turned racist. If elected she would leave her council seat.

Eric Lucan, the opposing candidate, rejected the framing of the race as labor against business, pointing to his endorsements from the California Federation of Teachers and the California Nurses Association, which also back Elward (KQED, October 16, 2026).