Two candidates vying in a special general election to fill the California U.S. House seat vacated by former Rep. Devin Nunes (R-Calif.) couldn’t be more different.
Connie Conway is a staunch America First, pro-Trump Republican while Lourin Hubbard, her Democratic opponent, is a proud progressive activist with a socialist agenda.
The winner of the special runoff election will finish the remainder of the congressional term ending Jan. 3, 2023. Both Conway and Hubbard will also face other candidates running in the June 7 primary election for the term of two years following Jan. 3.
Conway
Conway, a lifelong Central Valley resident, has been endorsed by former President Donald Trump, who appointed her to serve as executive director of the U.S. Department of Agriculture Farm Service Agency in 2019. She is also endorsed by the Fresno County Republican Party.“I’ve spent decades fighting for conservative values,” Conway states on her campaign website. “In Congress, I’ll take the fight to Nancy Pelosi. I’ll fight Washington’s reckless spending, which is causing inflation, higher food and gas prices and leaving our kids an unpayable debt.”
Conway has vowed to battle environmental “extremists who want to take water away from our farms and dairies,” and promises to push for “good-paying jobs” in the region.
With rising theft and violent crime, including murders, Conway has vowed to fight against the “defund the police” movement pushed by Black Lives Matter (BLM) and its Democratic supporters.
She is endorsed by Tulare County Sheriff Mike Boudreaux and Fresno County Sheriff Margaret Mims.
“I’d be honored to have your support in my bid to finish the good, conservative work Congressman Nunes has delivered for our district,” she said.
Hubbard
Hubbard, has called for more spending on social programs including universal health care and the elimination of “pre-existing medical debt,” affordable childcare and family leave, taxpayer-funded education from pre-kindergarten to college, and debt forgiveness on student loans.To combat climate change and create jobs, he wants to invest in renewable energy to usher in a “green industrial revolution.”
Hubbard supports BLM and progressive “social justice” policies, and states on his campaign website that he wants to dismantle the “school-to-incarceration pipeline” and end “disciplinary policies that lead to the disproportionate exclusion and expulsion of Black and Brown students.”
Hubbard also promises to abolish Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and halt the deportation of illegal aliens classified as non-violent criminals. He has accused ICE and Customs and Border Patrol (CBP) of “tearing families apart” and “putting children in cages with impunity and forcing millions of undocumented immigrants into the shadows.”
Hubbard, who has served as a manager at the Central Valley Regional Water Quality Control Board, didn’t mention water in the agriculture plank of his platform.
Instead, he advocates for “sustainable agriculture by providing financial support and incentives to farmers that adopt climate-friendly techniques and practices.”
Hubbard blames “giant agribusiness” for dominating the market and policymaking and “leaving our family farms behind.”
Political Landscape
The boundaries of the district have been redrawn which could change the political landscape. According to Politico, the 2022 redistricting in California, which has the most congressional seats of any state, has been a “big boost for Dems.”In the April 5 special election, Conway garnered about 35 percent of the vote while Hubbard came in second with about 19 percent. Neither candidate cleared the 50 percent hurdle to avoid a runoff. Republican Matt Stoll earned about 16 percent followed by Democrat Eric Garcia with 14 percent, suggesting that Conway has a comfortable lead heading into the June 7 runoff.
