By The Leader Staff
Sen. Melissa Hurtado
Sen. Melissa Hurtado

State Senator Melissa Hurtado, who currently represents Kings County this week, announced she would run again for her seat in Senate District 16, despite having her district split apart, between the newly drawn Senate District 14 and Senate District 16.

“Every day, I fight hard for the people of Senate District 14 and across the Valley. It is an honor to serve my home,” said Hurtado. “When the new districts were released, I initially planned to run in the new Senate District 14, including my family home in Sanger. I was born and raised in Fresno County, and the Central Valley will always be home,” she said.

 “That will never change. I also understood that circumstances could change. As the daughter of immigrants, I learned that change is scary, but sacrifice is often necessary for the greater good. I will always put what’s best for the Valley first, which is why I have decided to run in the new Senate District 16.”

 Hurtado’s announcement was met with solid support by Senate President Pro Tem Toni Atkins, who said, “It’s hard to leave behind part of a district that you have fought hard to represent. While it hasn’t been an easy decision for Senator Hurtado, I commend her for running in Senate 16 to ensure that all the people in the Valley will have the strongest representation. Senator Hurtado has my full support as well as the support of the Senate Democratic Caucus.”

Senate District 16 includes portions of Fresno, Kern, and Tulare Counties and all of Kings County and the cities of Bakersfield, Delano, Kingsburg, Arvin, MacFarland, Shafter, Wasco, Avenal, Corcoran, Hanford, Lemoore, Dinuba, Farmersville, Lindsay, Porterville, Traver, Tulare, Visalia, and Woodlake.