Garamendi drops gov. bid to run for House

California Lt. Gov. John Garamendi is abandoning his run for governor to pursue Rep. Ellen Tauscher’s House seat.

The Sacramento Bee reports that Garamendi, a Democrat, has two events scheduled for Wednesday to announce his run for Congress.

Tauscher has been nominated to a post in the State Department, opening up her 10th District seat.

Garamendi will join a well formed field on the Democratic side. State Sen. Mark DeSaulnier is considered by many to be the frontrunner for the Bay Area seat, and he has already gathered the endorsements of Tauscher and Rep. George Miller (D). California Assemblywoman Joan Buchanan is also exploring a run on the Democratic side and released a poll she conducted in March that showed her with a narrow lead over the rest of the field.

Garamendi had been rumored to be considering a run for the House seat since the beginning of the month.

jeremy.jacobs@digital-stage.thehill.com