2018 General Election Withdrew
Ruben Kihuen https://rubenforcongress.com/ is something of a golden boy in Nevada. He was elected (rounded numbers) to Congress at 35 to the state Senate at 30, to the state Assembly at 25. In the state legislature, he organized the first Hispanic caucus and was the Senate Democratic whip. Bright, charming, handsome, a great athlete (high school soccer player of the year in Nevada). Were it not for a foot injury, like one of his high school classmates, he might be finishing a career as a professional soccer player right now. His non-athletic extra curricular activities were as a college student recruiter and a volunteer for Senator Reid, ultimately serving him as a regional coordinator.
Kihuen’s story is also an American immigrant success story. His father was a teacher in Mexico who wanted what most immigrants to the United States want for their family — prosperity and better opportunities for their children. His father worked as a laborer in California before moving to Nevada. In Nevada, he found a way to become a teacher again.
For a young Ruben Kihuen, Congress is a new challenge — requiring both the charm that seems to come naturally and the grit and diligence he learned from his father. Congressional colleagues are not easily impressed and not deferential to your success. The Congress that Kihuen got himself elected to is extremely divided with Democrats in the minority. Kihuen has now had two years in what could be considered the big leagues of politics. His positions have been what would be expected: support for the ACA while acknowledging some problems that need to be fixed, support for immigration reform with a path to citizenship, support for a minimum wage. To have his chance to make his mark, he has to be reelected.
To fulfill the promise of what may prove to be a spectacular career, Ruben Kihuen has to be reelected from a district that is not clearly Democratic, a district that often gets a small Democratic turnout in a non–presidential year. Of the ten Democrats who won close elections in the 2016 presidential year, Kihuen had the sixth smallest margin of victory. He won by 10,657 votes out of a total of more than 265,000 votes. In that election, two minor party candidates earned a total of more than 18,000 votes. That was more than his margin of victory over the Republican.
Ruben Kihuenhttps://rubenforcongress.com/will be a Republican target in 2018. He will need help. As with all candidates for 2018, help that includes financial support, even if it is modest financial support, that is committed on a monthly basis is extremely valuable.
