Senator Andreas Borgeas Announces He Will Not Run For Re-Election This Year

Senator Andreas Borgeas (R-Fresno) announced on Tuesday that he would not be running for state Senate again, less than a week after he had announced that he would also not be running for Congress.

Borgeas, a graduate of Northern Arizona, Harvard University, Georgetown University, and Panteion University in Athens, Greece, began his political career in 2008 when he was elected as a Fresno City Councilman following over a decade of many legal and academic positions. Four years later, Borgeas was elected to the Fresno County Board of Supervisors, followed by his successful election to the state Senate in 2018 over Democratic candidate Paulina Miranda.

During his term in the Senate, Borgeas has been praised as a major advocate of bipartisanship, while at the same time pulling for his district through his support for agricultural water rights, and fighting for his beliefs through actions such as being one of the strongest opponents against the controversial AB 5 employee designation law. Based on his popularity with both Republicans and moderates, Borgeas began looking into replacing Congressman Devin Nunes (R-CA) in a special election following his resignation in early January.

However, redistricting set to go into effect beginning with the 2022 election largely shook up the political situation for the next decade in the Fresno-area. His new state Senate district now is part of the same district as Senator Shannon Grove (R-Bakersfield), with his new Congressional district also now being the same district as Congressman Tom McClintock (R-CA). In the last few weeks, while Borgeas mulled which way he should run, both Grove and McClintock announced re-election campaigns in their respective districts.

Not running in 2022

Borgeas announced last week that he would not be running for Congress after all, with him keeping hope that he could keep his Senate run alive. However, with Grove now the main candidate, and Borgeas not wishing to pit Republican against Republican, Borgeas announced that he would not be running for the state Senate as well in 2022.

“After careful consideration I have decided not to pursue re-election to the California State Senate,” tweeted Borgeas late Tuesday. “It has been an extraordinary honor and privilege to serve the nearly one-million residents in the eleven counties of the 8th Senate District.”

“Our team is beyond proud of what we have been able to achieve legislatively and politically in Sacramento as well as the results delivered for our community and the State of California.”

“Anna and I would like to express our deepest appreciation to our family, friends, and everyone who has supported my tenure in public service. I look forward to remaining politically engaged and keeping up the good fight for our community in a future capacity.”

After careful consideration I have decided not to pursue re-election to the California State Senate. It has been an extraordinary honor and privilege to serve the nearly one-million residents in the eleven counties of the 8th Senate District.

— Andreas Borgeas (@SenatorBorgeas) January 11, 2022

Political experts in the Fresno-area commented on Wednesday that while Borgeas may not be running in 2022, he will likely run again within the next few years.

“There are a lot of options for him besides Congress or the state Senate,” Phil Howard, a Fresno County pollster, told the Globe on Wednesday. “He has a recognizable name with no scandals attached to him and is known for his bipartisanship. If he looks at Fresno, he could easily be a threat for Mayor, while at the state level he can scare some Democratic candidates. He was the only Republican state Senator to speak out against the Capitol storming last year, and in addition to being bipartisan, he is very close to the Armenian community, and that can mean a lot of support through them in California, especially in Glendale and the LA area.”

“He’s one of the GOP’s star players in California, and he took the honorable way out in all these crowded races. He’s also smart, he has a Doctorate after all. So he’ll bide his time for sure. Democrats will be very concerned for whichever race he decides to run for next.”

Borgeas’ Senate term is expected to end in early December this year following the 2022 general election.