Your guide to the California Congressional District 13 race: John Duarte vs. Adam Gray
Who will emerge victorious from this congressional race for the open seat and the seat to the right of Gray? Which candidate is better for the district?
With two candidates on the ballot, the electorate has the opportunity to help make the future of the US House of Representatives more democratic. That’s what this race is about, after all. If the voters make it easy for one candidate over the other and make sure that the winner is the most progressive one, we might see the emergence of more progressive representatives going forward. But if they don’t, the US will lose our place at the forefront of the world as a free republic.
If this election were closer or not so close, the outcome would be clear.
In terms of a comparison to Gray’s campaign, the most interesting question is who will emerge as leader — and why. I’ve been asking candidates what they think is important. And here’s what some of them have said:
John Duarte
The progressive, working class Democrat, Duarte, wants to reform the tax code and cut back on the government’s role in education. But his plan to do that is to cut back on military spending. He understands that a strong military is a foundation for American prosperity. In his campaign literature, he offers a plan to increase defense spending. He supports repealing the PATRIOT Act and the Military Commissions Act, and would end the war on drugs.
He would also reform our immigration system by creating a merit-based, lawful immigration system that would take children away from human traffickers or anyone who would endanger their lives if returned to their home country.
And at the federal level, he would take health care out of the hands of insurance companies. He’s also endorsed California’s Single Payer Act.
Adam Gray
The pro-business Gray is the more conservative Republican. He wants to cut back on spending, particularly on defense, and he wants to lower taxes. Gray advocates for government programs to help the middle class. He’s a supporter of the PATRIOT Act.
And he wants to eliminate the estate tax, which is a tax on the well-off, and the income tax, which he believes is regressive. Gray would cut the Defense department and the National Endowment for