Having served six years as mayor of Gustine, Democrat Dennis Brazil has announced his candidacy for 12th State Senate District which is being vacated by Republican Anthony Cannella next year.

With Democrats having a voter registration edge of over 17 percent, Brazil said he is well positioned to run for this seat. Cannella, the former mayor of Ceres, is unable to seek for reelection for second time due to term limits.

The district covers Stanislaus, Fresno, Madera, Merced, Monterey and San Benito counties.

"I'm running for State Senate to help others," said Brazil. "I know that we can make this district a better place by meeting folks where they live and work, listening to their hopes and concerns. I look forward to meeting all families across this District."

While serving as mayor of the small Merced County city, Brazil served four years on the San Joaquin Air District Board of Directors, and six years on Merced County Crime Stoppers. He has been actively engaged in the Fight for Water. A life-long resident of the Valley, he grew up in his family trucking business, hauling hay and equipment, traveling hundreds of miles throughout the valley on a daily basis. For over 25 years, Brazil has worked as an operations manager for Kagome Inc. in Los Banos. Kagome is a major food processor that produces tomato based products, such as pasta sauce, pizza sauce, salsa and other sauces for the restaurant and food service business. They ship product from coast to coast and export into over 40 countries. He manages the day-to-day operations driving hundreds of miles from the various facilities, overseeing over 150 employees, as well as the production of products for the customer base.