The Race to Consolidate SD-24 Has Begun — Goldsmith Lands First Rival Endorsement

Ellen Evans ran against Brian Goldsmith in June. Now she’s backing him.

The civil rights advocate and neighborhood leader announced her endorsement of Goldsmith becoming the first of the eliminated primary candidates to pick a side in the November general election for California State Senate District 24. The primary results will be officially certified Friday.

“California is facing extraordinary challenges, yet too often our government falls short not because we lack good intentions, but because we fail to execute,” Evans said. “We won’t agree on every issue, but that’s not the point. I believe Brian will approach this job with humility, seriousness, and a determination to make government work better for the people of California.”

Goldsmith told WEHOonline the endorsement carries real weight for him. “Ellen is a dedicated community leader, LGBTQ activist, and student of policy,” he said. “She ran to deliver better outcomes for residents — which is also why I’m running. I have enormous respect for Ellen and it means a great deal to have her support.”

Evans has deep roots in West Hollywood. She and her spouse are former residents who used to lived on Norwich Drive. Her activism goes back to the AIDS crisis. She and her wife, Laura Brill, married in 2008 in the window before Proposition 8 passed — an experience that pushed her onto the board of the Equality California Institute. She co-founded the Doheny Sunset Plaza Neighborhood Association in 2017 and is vice president of her local Neighborhood Council.

Evans isn’t the only name on Goldsmith’s list. Councilmember Lauren Meister endorsed him in the primary. So did Nancy Pelosi, Hillary Clinton, and Pete Buttigieg. His Instagram feed shows several endorsements from mayors, assemblymembers and city councilmembers from across the Southland. More endorsements will likely follow. One he’s still working on: retiring Sen. Ben Allen, who has not made an endorsement in the race. Goldsmith told us he hoped to earn Allen’s support. “I have such admiration for the work he’s done over the last 12 years, especially on protecting our air, water, and coastline,” he said.

November comes down to two Democrats who don’t have much in common beyond the party label. Goldsmith is a Beverly Hills journalist-turned-consultant with a wife, two kids, and a moderate pitch. Erickson is a West Hollywood councilmember whose muscle comes from labor unions, LGBTQ+ organizations, and progressive networks across the county.

Erickson took first in the primary — 20.5% to Goldsmith’s 18.3% in a field of ten. But the two Republicans in that race, G. Rick Marshall and Kristina Irwin, pulled a combined 96,000 votes. Where those voters land, or whether they show up at all, may decide this thing. CityWatch LA reports Goldsmith intends to court every primary voter, Republicans included, while Erickson plans to focus on the Democrats who backed other candidates.

Goldsmith doesn’t shy away from that framing. “I am not going to pretend to be anything but what I am — a committed mainstream Democrat,” he said. “I also believe in building consensus and won’t write off any community. Many of us share key values on supporting small businesses, defending public safety, making sure our tax dollars are spent wisely, and tackling the affordability crisis.”

In a video posted to Instagram after the primary was called, Goldsmith put the race in personal terms. “This is the community where I grew up, where Claire and I are raising our kids — so this is personal, not just political,” he said. “We have work to do to change the way this state is governed: to make it easier and more affordable for families and small businesses; to confront crime and homelessness; to address the big challenges of our future like Al and climate change and insurance; and to fix our toxic and divisive politics.”

Handicapping it now, many observers give Goldsmith the edge. He’s got more money. His message travels better across a district that runs from Malibu to the Palos Verdes Peninsula. And his coalition seems to be growing — Santa Monica, the South Bay, even chunks of West Hollywood, where early returns showed Goldsmith pulling 1,500 votes against hometown favorite Erickson’s 2,305. Erickson’s answer to all of that is a base that actually shows up. Labor, teachers, WeHo, progressives. They delivered in June when everyone had written him off. Erickson is a work horse and as the primary reminded his doubters, to count him out is a fool’s errand. 

Whether either man can grow past the voters he already has is the race.

The Evans endorsement suggests something else, too: the candidates who ran against Goldsmith and watched him up close came away willing to vouch for him. In a race that will be decided by voters who backed someone else in June, that may be the most valuable currency there is. And the math gives him one more reason for optimism — nearly a third of primary voters chose a Republican. In a two-Democrat November race, those voters need somewhere to go, and a moderate with public safety credentials is a more natural landing spot than a progressive labor candidate. Goldsmith survived a primary where he was outflanked on the left and nearly overtaken on the right by a Republican wave, and still came out with the broadest geographic support in the field. That’s the profile of a general election candidate. 

The general election is November 3. The primary results will be certified July 10.