Former Marin assemblyman Levine exits supervisorial race

Former assemblyman Marc Levine has decided to drop out of the race for Marin County supervisor in District 2.

“Over the summer, I’ve had more time to consider serving on the Board of Supervisors, and even more intensely weigh it after the passing of my mother earlier this month. I’m going to take a pause on electoral politics for now,” Levine wrote in an email on Monday.

Levine declined further comment.

Levine was among four declared candidates for the seat held by Supervisor Katie Rice. She announced on May 18 that she will retire from the board when her term ends in January 2025.

San Anselmo Councilmember Brian Colbert declared his candidacy within days of Rice’s announcement. Levine made his announcement at the end of May. In June, Rice endorsed Colbert.

Since then, Ryan O’Neil, a Ross Valley School District trustee, and Larkspur Mayor Gabe Paulson have entered the race. Heather McPhail Sridharan, a Kentfield School District trustee, said she might run as well.

The primary election is March 5.

To some, Levine’s decision to run for a position with less prestige and power than the one he previously held came as a surprise. After serving just one term on the San Rafael City Council, Levine won election to the Assembly in 2012 by upsetting an incumbent who was backed by the Democratic Party establishment.

Last year, with just one more term in the Assembly open to him because of term limits, Levine gambled on a bid to unseat state Insurance Commissioner Ricardo Lara, who also was backed by the Democratic Party establishment. This time Levine’s wager didn’t pay off.

Levine has an active “Levine for Insurance Commissioner 2026” committee that has raised more than $91,000. Levine has also raised about $77,000 for a 2028 campaign for the Democratic central committee.

Bruce Raful, Levine’s treasurer and longtime friend, has said that most of the contributions Levine had raised previously would be accessible for his bid for supervisor.

Brian Sobel, a Petaluma political analyst, said what some might have viewed as Levine’s greatest strength, his experience in the Assembly, was also his biggest weakness.

“There’s a feeling by people generally that political types these days are job shopping because of term limits,” Sobel said. “That rubs people the wrong way.”

Sobel said Levine might have gotten the message talking to potential voters that they thought electing a fresh face to the Board of Supervisors made “more sense than someone who was coming back from Sacramento hoping to slide into another paying position where he could bide his time until he wanted to run for something else.”

Levine reported at the end of July that his “Levine for Supervisor” committee had received just over $32,000 in campaign contributions during the first six months of 2023.

“Your contributions will be refunded,” Levine wrote in his announcement Monday. “Please be patient as volunteers assist in this process.”

During the same period, Colbert reported receiving just over $42,000 in contributions.

Sobel said Colbert, the first African American resident in the county’s history to serve on a municipal council, is the prohibitive favorite in the race and would have been so even if Levine had remained in the contest.

Responding to Levine’s announcement Monday, Colbert said, “First and foremost, I want to offer my condolences to Marc Levine, I am sorry to hear about his loss. Marc has served and advocated for Marin County for many years and I have no doubt he will continue to do so in some capacity.”

“As far as my campaign for supervisor,” Colbert added, “I will continue to walk neighborhoods throughout the district to let voters know about my background and plans for Marin.”