Our candidate for California’s 27th district could have very easily chosen not to run for public office. He’s been prominent in the aerospace industry ever since being tapped by Obama to be chief of staff for NASA. He was the CEO for Virgin Galactic for over a decade, growing it from a small startup company into one of the movers and shakers in the burgeoning private space industry. He could have easily enjoyed a comfortable retirement when he stepped down, and maybe served on a few corporate boards and stayed wealthy.
But that isn’t who George Whitesides is.
Instead, Whitesides is a community leader in the Antelope Valley. He worked on the local COVID-19 task force to help balance disease mitigation and keeping people employed. He works to serve underprivileged students in Lancaster and Palmdale. He works to make space travel accessible to those with disabilities.
Whitesides may be wealthy, but he is a person who cares deeply about California’s 27th district. That is why he chose to run for the seat currently occupied by Rep. Mike Garcia. He’s seen the incumbent capitulate to the far-right every vote, and hold extreme positions that are out of step with the district. Question is, can George Whitesides finally be the candidate to oust Garcia?
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George Whitesides for California-27
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What’s the Big Idea?
THIS RACE IS A TOSSUP, with a D+4 PVI
This district, found in northern Los Angeles County, has been a tough nut to crack. The defense and space industries are critical here, as well as it being a place for (relatively) affordable housing in the Los Angeles area. There is a plurality of Hispanic voters in the district, and that may favor an incumbent with a Hispanic last name.
Numbered the 25th district last decade, the problems started when we were locked out of the Top 2 primary when previous Rep. Buck McKeon retired. That allowed Rep. Steve Knight to come to Congress, and he proved tough to beat in 2016. In spite of Clinton carrying the district, Knight prevailed over the opposition that year.
Of course, the fact that Clinton won his district made Knight extremely vulnerable during the 2018 blue wave election. Rep. Katie Hill easily beat back the incumbent that year, and looked to be a rising star on Capitol Hill. However, she was felled by a sexual scandal before she could finish out one term, and promptly resigned when this was found out.
Rep. Mike Garcia and State Rep. Christy Smith locked horns for three elections in a row. In spite of Joe Biden winning this district 55.1% to 42.7% in 2020, Garcia was able to easily win the special election for this district in 2020. Garcia very narrowly won a full term in 2020 as well. In the third matchup, now numbered the 27th district after redistricting, Garcia won much more easily, beating Smith by a 53.2% to 46.8% margin. The fate of Whitesides will depend on how well Biden does in this district. If Biden does well, there is a good chance of winning. If there is regression to old patterns, Mike Garcia will win yet again.
Here’s where this race will be won in the 27th district.
- Lancaster and Palmdale: These two cities are the blue anchors of the district, and they are critical for the chances of Whitesides to win. They aren’t reliably blue though, as both cities have a GOP mayor. They still tend to vote GOP down the ballot which will be a problem.
- Santa Clarita: This city is the swing portion of the district, with both light blue and pinkish precincts found within the city bounds. Mike Garcia is from this area, so it is vital that Whitesides heavily contests this city and gets above 50-50 in it in order to win.
Here’s where we need to keep the margins down, or we lose.
- Rural Areas: The rest of the district primarily consists of rural areas, and these are beet red in nature. In a close race, places like Quartz Hill and other rural areas matter. Whitesides needs to stick to the Biden margins in these areas or Mike Garcia will escape with yet another victory.
Who is George Whitesides?
Whitesides doesn’t have an issues page on his campaign website, which makes writing this section much more difficult. In the “About” section, he does write "In Congress, he will be committed to creating great jobs in the district, finding solutions to the wildfire crisis, protecting a woman's right to choose and protecting Social Security and Medicare for seniors."
He did join Morning Joe on MSNBC to talk about some of his priorities if elected to office.
However, through his Twitter feed I am also able to get a sense of the issues he would champion in Congress if he reaches there. The New Democratic Coalition has already endorsed his campaign. Whitesides is likely to be a moderate voice in our caucus.
- Science and Space. Another area where Whitesides excels in is promoting scientific research and space exploration. He was a proponent of passing the CHIPS Act through Congress, and he is still very active in the private space industry to this day. This district plays host to plenty of aerospace companies and Andrews AFB, which was critical for the space shuttle. Whitesides has been endorsed by the 314 Action Fund.
- Wildfire Crisis. Whitesides started Megafire Action, which is meant to help combat the huge fire crisis we’ve been seeing more and more of recently with climate change. He’s given a TED Talk on the topic where he posits on how to handle the crisis. He gives solutions to protect homes, use indigenous techniques to better manage forests, and finally to conduct cutting edge research into the best practices for fighting mega fires.
- Climate Crisis. Whitesides would be an excellent voice in Congress on clean energy and promoting wind and solar power as a solution to the perpetual energy crisis California faces. He states that it is urgent to make the transition with the climate crisis barreling towards us. He has been endorsed by the League of Conservation Voters, as well as California Environmental Voters.
- Protecting Our Democracy. He has been endorsed by Voter Protection Project, which endorses candidates strong on voting rights. I am not 100% sure, but I suspect that Whitesides would be another vote for the John Lewis VRA, as well as other measures to protect the right to vote.
- Union Strong. His Twitter feed is full of endorsements from different unions, both statewide and locally. Without an issues page, it is difficult to ascertain his position on measures like the PRO Act — but these unions would not be endorsing Whitesides if he showed signs of being anti-union.
- Gun Safety Advocate. The best evidence for him being supportive of gun safety measures is the Morning Joe clip above. He would at the very least support enhanced background checks. Another sign that his record could be good on gun safety issues comes from a tweet where he dressed in orange in solidarity with Moms Demand Action.
- Protecting Abortion Rights. His Twitter feed makes it clear that he is in favor of protecting abortion rights, given the numerous attacks on Rep. Mike Garcia on the issue. He is a likely vote on codifying Roe v. Wade, as well as a vote against a national abortion ban and even a possible contraception ban.
- Job Creator. Whitesides has a track record of creating jobs, both as Virgin Galactic CEO and as the head of AV EDGE, a local group looking to promote businesses and create jobs in the Antelope Valley. He cites the ridiculous 4-5 hour commute from the Antelope Valley to jobs in Los Angeles as a reason why he needs to bring back better jobs for the district.
Who is Rep. Mike Garcia?
Before joining Congress, Rep. Mike Garcia was a US Navy pilot. He served in multiple combat missions during the War in Iraq. After retiring from the military, he went to work for defense company Raytheon. He decided to run for office in 2020, with a typical MAGA platform and in support of Donald Trump. His initial special election win was seen as a mild upset in a district Hillary Clinton won in 2016.
- Election Denier. Rep. Mike Garcia voted against certifying the 2020 election, even after the heinous insurrection attempt on 1/6. He has since acknowledged that Joe Biden won the 2020 election. He also voted against the second impeachment of former President Trump.
- Shady Stock Trader. Garcia sold $50k of Boeing stock right before a damning report on 737 MAX airliner crashes came out of his committee back in 2020. He then hid the transaction from regulators by failing to report it until after the 2020 election. Whitesides has already pounced on this scandal, and it will be ad fodder later in the campaign for sure.
- Forced Birth Maniac. Rep. Mike Garcia has co-sponsored a national abortion ban. He also wishes to defund Planned Parenthood and has consistently voted against women’s health issues. Curiously, Garcia has scrubbed all mentions of abortion from his campaign website.
- Repealing the ACA. Garcia has stated that one of his goals is to repeal the Affordable Care Act. He also has stated in the past that he “isn’t a fan of Medicaid”. He would likely support cuts to Medicaid and Medicare as proposed by extreme Speaker Mike Johnson.
- Debt and Deficit Peacock. Garcia wants to add a balanced budget amendment to the US Constitution, which would basically force huge tax increases or cause the government to shut down because of the debt load. In spite of being “concerned” about the deficit, Garcia voted against the Inflation Reduction Act which actually lowered the deficit.
- 2nd Amendment Zealot. Garcia has voted against any and all gun safety legislation that has come up for a vote. He voted against the Assault Weapons Ban of 2022, as well as the Bipartisan Background Checks Act of 2021. Garcia has scrubbed all mentions of being pro 2nd amendment from his campaign website, including his NRA grade.
- Immigration Hardliner. Garcia is a huge “build the wall” proponent on the southern border. He is in favor of enhanced security at the border by any means necessary. Garcia has even criticized DACA as “giving amnesty to illegal immigrants” even though they were children. No doubt Garcia would support Trump’s reprehensible immigration agenda.
- Ukraine Skeptic. Garcia has twisted himself into knots trying to explain his new positioning on funding for the War in Ukraine. Quote “I'm not necessarily opposed to supporting the Ukrainians further, but I am opposed to doing it at this point without some sort of explanation from the executive branch, Secretary of Defense [Lloyd Austin] telling us what we are doing with this money and where it's going and what the end state is."
- Reefer Madness. Garcia consistently voted against bills that would legalize marijuana or integrate that growing industry into the larger economy. He voted against the SAFE Banking Act which would’ve opened up dispensaries to capital from banks and other financial institutions. He also voted against the MORE Act, which would have legalized marijuana and expunged past criminal offenses
How Can You Help?
If you are nowhere near the Los Angeles metropolitan area, it may seem like it is difficult to support George Whitesides. Balderdash! The easiest way to support his campaign is through a donation — whether that donation is large or small. The Los Angeles media market is one of the most expensive in the nation, so it is important that Whitesides raise as much cash as possible.
Between donations and self-funding, Whitesides raised $697k for Q3. That is quite a good haul for a first time candidate! Raising cash to be competitive is the primary early goal to see if a candidate can be competitive, and Whitesides is passing that test. The problem is that Rep. Mike Garcia is still outraising him, hauling in $760k during the same time period.
That being said, Whitesides is currently being much more efficient with his money. It is rare for a challenger to have more cash on hand than an incumbent, but that is the precise situation for this race. Whitesides has $1.73M stored up to spend for this race, which is an excellent start. Garcia also has a significant amount in the bank, though it is less than the challenger. Garcia has $1.55M cash on hand as of the end of Q3.
Even more important for Whitesides as a first time candidate is amassing an army of volunteers dedicated to helping out his campaign. Volunteers are critical for canvassing, dialing for dollars, maintaining voter contact lists, and so many more tasks. There are many competitive races in the Los Angeles area, but this race is the one most likely to flip from red to blue.
The third way you can assist with the Whitesides campaign is by amplifying his messaging on social media. He’s been touting a lot of endorsements from various groups and politicians in California. He’s also showing that he is capable of winning through attacks on “MAGA Mike” Garcia, as well as displaying a knack for attending events, canvassing, and showing where he stands on issues.
He currently has 19.9k followers on Twitter, which is a nice amount for a campaign to start with. It is likely he started with a small advantage in that he was a CEO of a prominent aerospace company. He shouldn’t have any trouble getting out his message. As a first time campaigner, he is taking the right steps to win this race!
If you are on Facebook, that’s where he needs the help right now. He only has 395 followers on that social media platform, and I worry that his messaging won’t spread there. His content is similar to what is posted on Twitter, but not exactly the same. Here he excoriates Garcia for supporting extremist Speaker Mike Johnson.
Help spread the word today by following George Whitesides (especially on Facebook) and boosting his campaign in the critical realm of social media!
With a first time candidate such as George Whitesides, it is a high risk/high reward proposition. There is plenty of untapped potential as the candidate learns and grows during the process. However, the candidate is also more likely to make unforced errors due to inexperience. The good news is that Whitesides has held positions high up in a major company, as well as in the Obama administration. He’s more seasoned than your typical first time candidate.
What I do know is that even with positions out of step with his district, Rep. Mike Garcia will be a tough incumbent to beat, even though he is listed as the 9th most vulnerable Republican by Daily Kos. He’s proven to be a survivor even during presidential years when Biden romps up the ticket. Garcia will definitely do better than Trump in this district. Whitesides needs to reduce this crossover vote as much as possible. The question is, can Whitesides be the one to finally oust “MAGA Mike” Garcia once and for all?
George Whitesides for California-27
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