By admin 
Incumbent state Sen. Roger Niello, R-Fair Oaks, faces Democratic challenger Sean Frame in the general election for California’s 6th Senate District.
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The district, which includes parts of Sacramento and Placer counties, has a close political margin, with 35.56% of residents registered as Democrats and 36.1% registered as Republicans.
Niello is eligible to run for one more four-year term before reaching the state’s term limits. State senators represent their constituents in the upper house of the Legislature, where 40 lawmakers work throughout the two-year session to craft new laws for the state.
Niello, a businessman and former assemblymember, ran for the seat in 2022 after the area underwent redistricting following the 2020 census. Niello has had a large footprint in the Capitol and currently serves as the vice chair of the Senate’s banking, budget, insurance and judiciary committees.
Where is the district?
The 6th District lies east of Sacramento, right up to the Sierra foothills. It includes Sacramento suburbs Arden-Arcade, Citrus Heights and Roseville and spans from Lincoln in the north to Galt in the south.
Before it was redistricted in 2021 to reflect the 2020 Census, it encompassed much of Sacramento and leaned Democratic. Richard Pan, who’s running for Congress, and former Sacramento Mayor Darrell Steinberg, both represented the district in its previous form.
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Who are the candidates?
Sen. Roger Niello has the name recognition of his family’s ubiquitous car dealership, as well as legislative experience, having served in the Assembly from 2004 to 2010 and the Senate since 2022. As the vice chair of several influential committees, including the budget and judiciary committees, Niello is a prominent and representative for Republicans. If he wins this election, he will lead the California Senate Republicans.
Niello’s legislative proposals are often moderate and technical in nature and he has managed to get several measures passed in a Democratic supermajority. He has also taken some big swings: He is a vocal proponent for easing the burden on businesses that are sued for noncompliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act. According to his , he “opposes new taxes and regulations that drive up costs for Californians.”
Sean Frame, a progressive Democrat and multimedia design specialist for the Sacramento County Office of Education, has run for higher office twice — a bid for Congress in 2020 and for Assembly in 2024.
On his website, Frame describes becoming involved with his son’s school after the principal was shot and killed during the school day, and serving as a member of the Placerville Union School District Board of Trustees for nine years. Frame also founded a PAC to elect progressive candidates.
In his , Frame said he supports single-payer healthcare, wants more accountability from government agencies and nonprofits dealing with homelessness in the state, and wants to address the climate and homeowners insurance crises.
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