California’s ‘Democrat-Leaning Open Seat is So Competitive //
As Election Day approaches, some analysts claim that a California congressional district that was previously referred to as a “Democrat-leaning vacant seat” has been renamed “toss up”.
In Tuesday’s general elections, the Republican candidate John Duarte as well as the Democrat candidate Adam Gray will be running to represent California’s 13 th Congressional district.
Rep. Rep.
Lee is running against Stephen Slauson , the Republican candidate, for office in California’s 12 th Congress District.
With 88.9% of votes, President Joe Biden won the 13 th congressional District in 2020. The vote was redistricted by Ballotpedia and Donald Trump won 9%.
After the 2020 census, the 13 th congressional District was redrawn and now covers an entirely new–and larger–area. According to Daily Kos calculations, the then-nominee Biden would still have won the district with 54.3% and Trump would have won with 43.4%.
The Cook Political Report rated as a “Democratic toss-up” but favors Gray by 4 percentage points. Sabato’s Crystal Ball rated this race as a Democrat “toss-up” and Inside Elections rated it as a “toss-up”.
“It’s an open seat that is Democratic-leaning [and] Democratic open seats in a year such as this are possible for Republicans. It could be more complicated than that, but I don’t know. “I think both Republicans and Democrats see it as a very competitive course,” Kyle Kondik, managing Editor at Sabato’s Crystal Ball, said to The Daily Signal in a telephone interview.
“The battlefield this election is a lot many districts that are Democratic-leaning, places where Biden won low double digits or single digits. Kondik stated that he doesn’t know the exact number of this one, but it is close to Biden +10. “Maybe Josh Harder would be a small favorite if he was running in this district instead of CA-9. But I think as an open-seat… I think it is a toss up.”
Kondik stated that the “national thing” is the California 13 th Congress District race’s competitiveness.
“I believe that in a more neutral or Democratic-leaning election year, I think the Democrats will be favored in a district such as this – and maybe they do win it.” Kondik stated that a lot of the problem is due to the president’s party being in trouble in a midterm climate.
John Allan Peschong is a partner at Meridian Pacific Strategies in California. He said that the issues Duarte and Gray are focusing on contribute to the apparent rightward shift within California’s 13 th congressional District.
“You have one candidate from the state assembly, and as you know it, it’s a Democrat controlled supermajority (Senate and state assembly),” Peschong, who was a White House staffer during President Ronald Reagan’s presidency, said to The Daily Signal in a telephone interview.
He said, “To be completely honest with you, they’ve caused a lot of problems that we find ourselves right now, especially when we’re dealing the day-today situation that working families find ourselves in,” he added.
Peschong stated that the rightward shift in California’s 13 th Congress District is taking place “nationwide.”
“I won’t be doing many races outside of California this race. However, I can tell you that the ones I have been involved in and the people I’m talking with do see that the criminal issue, which came out of COVID like that, the fact small businesses were closed down and so people were employed, they’re not working,” Peschong stated.
Peschong said, “It’s been really really tough on working families.”
Cesar Yabarra, vice president of FreedomWorks’ policy department, and a former California resident said that the Democrats’ refusal to address high gas prices and inflation are major contributors to this race.
He stated that Adam Gray, Democrat candidate for the nomination, voted to raise gas taxes and he did not vote on his bill to suspend the gas price.
Ybarra, like Peschong and Kondik, noted that the race was part a larger trend across the country.
Ybarra said:
The Democratic Party has been destroying our economy, destroying the oil and gas industry, inflating inflation through continued frivolous spending from federal government; enabling illegal immigration; protecting and supporting radical teachers unions that refused to return to teaching in-person, thereby permanently affecting the next generation.
“Democrats have refused any of these issues. He said that they seem to be focused only on their radical agenda, rather than promoting safety and well-being for everyday Americans. “The Democratic Party is out-of-touch with American citizens, and you will see a change in the political landscape next week.”
Duarte, a Modesto farmer and businessman aged 56, said he had never seen America move so fast.
“We need domestic electricity. Water is essential for the farms. We need people to get up in the morning and go to work. Inflation can be reduced by reducing government spending and printing money,” Duarte said to The Daily Signal in a telephone interview.
Duarte was added:
As someone who has had success in business and the community, I believe this is what Congress’ lower house is for. It’s for people who have built their experience, their reputations, and relationships in their communities to go to Congress to represent their community in Washington D.C.
Duarte also spoke out about what he believes contributes to the competitiveness in his race against Gray.
“We are on message. I mean, I’m from that community. Here, I own a business. I was born in the Valley. I raised my children in the Valley. Duarte stated that he was running for this race because he felt he had a clear understanding of the needs of the constituents in the 13 District.
“We must drill American oil. He said that water needs to be brought to the farms and that it is important to control the high living costs. “It’s very simple messaging, but we started with it back in March when the campaign began.”
Duarte was added:
That’s the message I believe you’re hearing across the country. I believe we were very clear in our messaging and focus from the beginning.
Because I’m a businessman. I am a family man. I’m from the Valley. I understood.
Torunn Sinclair, a spokesperson for the National Republican Congressional Committee said Gray is a corrupt Sacramento politician who caused everything to go up.
Sinclair explained to The Daily Signal via email that “Californians who struggle to afford gas and groceries will recall on Election Day that Adam Gray voted for raising California’s gasoline tax.”
Gray is currently representing California State Assembly district 21. He has held this position since 2012. His term ends Dec. 5, 2022.
Gray did not respond to The Daily Signal’s interview or comment requests. According to his campaign website, Gray “is focused on what is most important to the residents in the San Joaquin Valley: Health, Education, Public Safety, Jobs, and Water”.
His campaign website stated that Gray was elected by his peers to lead the New Democratic Caucus. He also founded the California Problem Solvers Caucus, which brings together Democrats, Republicans and independents to address California’s most pressing issues, including homelessness, pandemics, and drought.
The website also stated:
[Gray] led the fight against State Water Grab. He was a rebel against his party leaders and pushed legislation to stop the water grab. He also organized the largest ever water rights rally that the State Capitol has ever seen. His efforts paid off when he was removed as chief architect of the water grab.
Standing shoulder-to-shoulder with both Democratic and Republican legislators from the Valley, [Gray] also delivered almost $3 billion to build new storage, $200 million for aging canals and $60 million to boost groundwater basins.
According to The Cook Political Report, California’s congressional districts 47 and 49 have been rated “toss-ups” by Democrats. Fox News reported that the California congressional district 22 and 27 were also rated “toss-ups”.
The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee did not respond to The Daily Signal’s requests for interviews. They stated that California’s 13 th Congressional district is “frustrated” by both Republican as Democrat politicians.
“This district is overwhelmingly positive about the direction of this country and frustrated with politicians from both sides of the aisle – in particular with regard to the economic, as well as inflation,” the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee stated on its webpage.
Website stated that John Duarte is not like us. He is so arrogant that it seems he thinks he’s above the law.
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