With less than four weeks to go before Election Day, a candidate for State Senate District 1 is calling on his opponent, who recently survived a stroke, to debate him or drop out of the race.
Republican David Fennell said that the campaign of his opponent, Assemblywoman Megan Dahle, R-Bieber, is hiding the extent of her stroke damage from the public.
Dahle — who has served in the Assembly since 2019 — announced Jan. 9 that she suffered a stroke shortly before Christmas as a result of a blood clot.
While her post on X said that she had made “tremendous progress in my recovery and am receiving the care needed to quickly and fully recover,” Dahle appears to be largely absent from the campaign trail, denying news media interviews and refusing debate appearances.
Reached for comment, Dahle’s campaign, which declined to participate in The Bee’s 2024 Voter Guide candidate questionnaire, referred The Bee to several social media posts showing the assemblywoman attending various events, including an event in September where she was honored by the California County Superintendents, and appearing at the Intermountain Fair in McArthur, also in September.
“A quick search on the Assemblywoman’s social media pages, Assembly website, archived Assembly Floor videos, even CalMatters Digital Democracy would show you her attendance and voting on the Assembly Floor following her return to office,” wrote campaign spokesman Erik Brahms in an email to The Bee.
In an interview with The Bee, Fennell said that Dahle’s apparent withdrawal from campaign activities “put me in a very awkward position.”
“I would rather get on a stage and debate policy,” he said.
Fennell said that after he heard a rumor of Dahle having a stroke last December, he reached out to her campaign and “they assured me everything was fine and there was no problem.”
“My biggest problem is that she’s hiding it and clearly there was a very long period where she didn’t show up for work,” he said.
Dahle returned to the Assembly chamber on June 6, where members welcomed her back.
A review of CalMatters’ Digital Democracy website, which contains archived footage from Assembly and Senate committee hearings and floor sessions, shows that Dahle spoke just one time in 2024. That came at the Assembly floor session on Aug. 20 where she was praised by Assembly Republican Leader James Gallagher, R-Yuba City.
“Thank you so much. Thank you, my family and my staff. Speaking’s hard but I’m doing it,” Dahle said to a room full of applause .
An emotional Dahle appeared to struggle with speaking.
Fennell said it’s critical for voters in the newly redistricted Senate District 1 — a district which sprawls across the northern part of the state, from Yuba City to Yreka — to have access to the candidates looking to represent them in Sacramento.
“Because it’s a new district and it’s an open seat, the voters have a right to see the candidates and know,” Fennell said.
Senate District 1 is currently represented by Sen. Brian Dahle, R-Bieber, who is Megan Dahle’s husband. Term limits prohibit him from seeking reelection.
Megan Dahle is the favorite to win the election in November. In the March primary, she received 77.2% of the vote, while Fennell received 22.8%.
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