My mother and I attended a Candidate Forum on Thursday with Gil Cisneros at Cal State Fullerton. I didn’t get any pictures because I forgot to bring my camera (I mean of course I did, sigh), but I was really glad we went. I’ve put in a little volunteer time on this campaign so I’ve met Mr Cisneros a few times, but this was my mom’s first interaction with him. I wanted her to see and hear from the man for whom she is most likely voting.
First, a little about the district.
CA39 stretches across three counties: Orange, LA, and San Bernardino. It’s a big district, and it’s been a Republican stronghold for a long time. Our current Representative is Ed Royce, who read the writing on the wall this year and decided to retire.
I’ve lived in the district for about 18 years now. For probably the first decade that I lived here, Democrats didn’t even bother to run anyone. Mr Royce ran unopposed every election because this was considered such a solid Republican district. That started to change about 8 or 10 years ago. Democrats finally started competing for this seat, although we got beat badly every time. In the last election, Mr Royce won by 15 points.
That is changing this year.
Now a little about Gil Cisneros
Gil Cisneros is probably best known for two things: First, he’s one of the many Democrats running this year who is a veteran, and second, he won the lottery and became wealthy overnight.
The Navy gave Mr Cisneros an education without putting him in debt. He used his time there to earn an undergraduate and two masters degrees. I’ve heard him talk about this fact; he is very passionate about education and dedicated to the idea that everyone should have the same opportunity he did. At the Candidate Forum he talked about programs that allow people to trade work in public service for loan forgiveness — and not necessarily just the military. He also talked about Pell Grants and the power of Congress to directly impact the ability of average people to attain an education without crippling debt. Increasing Pell Grants is something Congress can do right now without the fights that come from starting new programs.
As a lottery winner, Mr Cisneros put his money where his mouth is, so to speak. He and his wife started the Gilbert and Jacki Cisneros Foundation, which supports scholarship opportunities and early education programs.
How about a little about his opponent?
Young Kim is Ed Royce’s handpicked successor. And why not? She worked for him for 21 years, helping him funnel money to the already wealthy and supporting every terrible part of the Republican agenda, all while avoiding his own constituents. There is every reason to believe that if elected, Ms Kim will simply carry on exactly as Mr Royce has — in fact, she was invited to that Candidate Forum my mom and I attended and failed to show up.
If elected, Young Kim will be a vote for repealing the ACA, putting immigrant kids in cages, and cutting taxes on corporations and the wealthy. She has been endorsed by the NRA and the Susan B Anthony List. She is not one of the more ostentatious of the right wing maniacs running for office this year, but she is as terrible as any of them.
Guys, this race is CLOSE
This is one of the most competitive races this year. Hillary Clinton won CA39 in 2016, even though Ed Royce had such a clear victory, really showing how this district is evolving. What was once a solid Red district is now most definitely deep purple. We can win here. We can flip this seat and help the Democrats take the House.
I’ve been watching FiveThiryEight like a hawk this Fall. Their predictions have wavered from Lean Dem to Tossup to Lean Rep sometimes from week to week.
What you can do to help flip this district
And here’s the part where I ask for your help.
We can flip this district. It’s all going to come down to whose voters turn out.
Volunteer:
If you live in Southern California, you can volunteer directly with the campaign. There are voter canvassing events every weekend up until the election (they provide training and snacks) and phone bank events every Thursday.
If you don’t live close, Postcards to Voters has a campaign asking volunteers to write postcards to Democrats in CA 39 encouraging them to vote for Gil.
Donate:
If you have the money and live in a safe district, please consider the Cisneros campaign.