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January 17th 2022 Political Note #439
2022 Kermit Jones CA 03
The sort-of incumbent, Republican Tom McClintock, is intent on escape. He has been representing CA 04, a north–south district beginning east of Sacramento and extending southeast of Fresno. The district was comfy for him with an R+15 lean. Some analysts thought he would fit into the new CA 03. Skinnier than the old district CA 04, it begins farther north of Sacramento and extends farther south of Fresno. It is not comfy enough for Tom McClintock. Its lean is only R+8. He seems to prefer the new CA 05, which is more compact and is west of the northern half of the new CA 03. Tom McClintock would definitely prefer CA 03’s R+17 lean.
Tom McClintock or someone else has leaked his intentions. He hasn’t announced them. The leak says, in so many words, Tom McClintock is escaping to CA 05 and leaving Democrat Kermit Jones https://www.kermitjonesforcongress.com on his own in CO 03. Kermit Jones can take advantage of an opportunity. An African American, he could add to the number of Black Members of Congress representing a predominantly white district. He has had quite a career already, though not as a politician. He’s a veteran; a doctor and a lawyer. He grew up in Michigan, son of a farmer and a home health nurse.
After his high school graduation, Kermit Jones went to an Historically Black College – Clark Atlanta. He joined Georgia Tech’s Dual engineering degree program which was designed to support students from Atlanta area colleges that could not offer that kind of engineering opportunity. Kermit Jones earned a BA from Georgia Tech in Electrical Engineering and Chemistry as well as his BA from Clark Atlanta.
Kermit Jones continued on to internships in Europe and India and to graduate school at Duke. Having grown accustomed to getting two degrees at a time, he earned two at Duke – an MD and a JD. 9/11 happened during his third year in medical school. In response, he thought he had to give something back and joined the military after graduation. A flight surgeon in the navy, assigned to a squadron of Marines, he would assist injured military and civilians and get them to safety.
After his tour of duty, Kermit Jones returned to the US with an intention to get one more degree — a Master’s Degree in Public Administration from Columbia after which he worked in India again. With this experience he headed to Washington DC. He returned to a medical practice, was briefly an associate at a law firm, and served as a White House Fellow. Then he headed toward California, where his wife was from. Along the way, he stopped to practice medicine in Chicago where he stayed for a few years. He completed the trip west to a medical practice in Northern California.
His decision to run for Congress was a product of feeling the need to address what he saw as something deeply wrong with the American medical system. In Michigan, his family had to sell their farm to pay for his mother’s cancer care. Kermit Jones saw similar problems in New York, Washington DC, Chicago and Northern California. As a candidate, he has other issues of course — from the infrastructure to climate change. The need to make the health care system accessible to all and to address the increasing cost of medical care and of prescription drugs is central to his candidacy.
Help put Kermit Jones in a position to achieve his goal and ours. Right now, there are two candidates who want to get in his way. One is 36 year old Kevin Kiley, a California Assemblyman who has has been described as “a conservative who flirts with the fringes of the Republican Party.” He wants a greater commitment to charter schools, a prohibition of mask mandates, and won’t say who he believes won the 2020 Presidential election. The other is Omar Navarro who has frequently run against and lost to Congresswoman Maxine Waters. He has resigned from a City Council seat after being accused of pepper spraying a child, was convicted of attaching an electronic tracking device to his wife’s car, released a forged letter (he insists he didn’t forge it himself) suggesting that Maxine Waters wanted to settle refugees in her district, and pled guilty and served six months in prison for being a threat to public safety after repeatedly violating a restraining order. These are the men who would like to represent the Republican Party.
We really need to help Kermit Jones https://www.kermitjonesforcongress.com and that help can pay off with a win.. The Republican who might be thought of as the incumbent, Tom McClintock, is escaping because the district is not Republican enough.
Some Democratic challengers who can flip a Republican seat in 2022
Two challengers in competitive districts with a slight Democratic lean
Jay Chen https://chenforcongress.com , a community activist and college trustee, is running for CA 45D+5 in Orange County. He is running against one term Incumbent Michelle Park Steel who has opposed abortion, opposed Covid relief, and opposed expanding civil rights legislation.
Gabe Vasquez https://gabeforcongress.com , a city councilman and conservationist is running for NM 02 D+4 in the South and Southwest of the state including Las Cruces. He is running against one term Incumbent Yvette Harrell, a Realtor and an enrolled Cherokee whose political goal is to reduce business regulations.
Three challengers in competitive districts with a slight Republican lean
Greg Landsman https://landsmanforcongress.com , a Cincinnati City Councilman and leader of public/private partnerships is running for OH 01 R+ 3 which includes Cincinnati. He is running against long-time Incumbent Steve Chabot who opposes abortion, the Affordable Care Act and is uncertain about the existence of climate change and who won the 2020 Presidential election.
Tony Vargas https://www.vargasfornebraska.com , a state legislator known for working with Republicans is running for NE 02 R+3 which includes Omaha. He is running against Incumbent Don Bacon who expressed reservations in 2016 about Donald Trump as a candidate but voted against Trump’s impeachment.
Christina Bohannan https://bohannanforcongress.com , a law professor and a state representative known for tough questioning is running for IA 01 R+4 which includes the south eastern part of the state including Davenport. She is running against one term incumbent Marianette Miller-Meeks, an ophthalmologist elected by 6 votes, who voted against Covid relief but in favor of investigating the January 6 insurrection.
Three challengers in competitive districts with a stronger Republican Lean
Liz Mathis https://lizmathis.com , a state Senator and former television anchor, is running for IA 02 R+6 which includes the northeastern part of the state and includes Cedar Rapids. She is running against one term incumbent Ashley Hinson who won by less than 1,000 votes and voted against Covid relief.
Heather Mizeur https://heathermizeur.com , a former member of the state House of Delegates and former Director of the National Assoc of Community Health Centers, is running for MD 01 R+8 which includes the state’s Eastern Shore. She is running against long time incumbent Andy Harris who opposed the Affordable Care Act, expressed belief that Trump had won the 2020 Presidential election, and minimized the dangers of the January 6, 2021 insurrection while expressing appreciation for the participants’ frustration.
Kermit Jones https://www.kermitjonesforcongress.com , a veteran, physician and attorney, is running for CA 03 R+8 which runs along the Nevada border east of Sacramento and of Fresno. He is running against state rep Kevin Kiley (the CA 04 incumbent is fleeing to another district) who opposes mask mandates to prevent the spread of Covid and is unwilling to comment on who won the 2020 Presidential election.
Two challengers I’ve written about who have tougher Republican leans
John Lira https://liraforcongress.com , a veteran, Mexican American, and small business expert with Washington experience is running for TX 23 R+13 which includes a long stretch of the southwest Texas border including El Paso. He is running against one term incumbent Tony Gonzalez who voted against Covid relief, but for the January 6 investigation.
Charles Evans https://www.charlesevansforcongress2022.com , County Commissioner, non-profit founder, and former prisoner is running for NC 08 R+20 which is east of Charlotte in the south central part of the state. He is running against one and a half term incumbent Dan Bishop who opposed certification of Joe Biden as President and opposed the Defense Authorization Act.
