He Left the GOP in 2008. Now, Gil Cisneros is Leading the Blue Wave
Gil Cisneros is a lot of things. A Navy veteran. An ex-Republican who saw the writing on the wall well before it was the cool thing to do (he left the Party in 2008 following the disastrous performance of the Bush Administration). A lottery winner (yep, you read that correctly. He and his wife bagged a cool $255 million in 2010). A philanthropist who opted to start a foundation and buy a minivan rather than a Ferrari with his prize-winnings. A husband. A children’s advocate. A healthcare advocate.
And now, he’s a Democrat endorsed by former President Barack Obama, running to flip the former congressional seat of GOP-heavyweight Ed Royce in the upcoming 2018 midterm elections. Royce joins an unprecedented four dozen Republicans who are making their exit from the U.S. House of Representatives, amidst a tumultuous and somewhat disturbing identity shift occurring within the party and an insurgence of activism by a concerned citizenry determined to put a stop to it.
With Donald Trump rising to become the GOP’s standard-bearer, the party faces a day of reckoning even as it enjoys control of every facet of the Government.
There is no better local example of this than in California’s 39th Congressional District. The contest has proven to be one of the most dramatic in the nation, with Politico calling it the “wierdest race in the country.”
The race is happening in a particularly high-stakes election cycle, with some not only calling for a “blue wave,” but insisting on the necessity of one in order to protect American democracy. But more importantly, Democrats have made this race a part of their strategy for winning back the U.S. House of Representatives.
Since the day after Election Day 2016, the party leadership has been hell-bent on a singularly focused strategy for reclaiming the House: take normally Republican-held districts that went to Hillary Clinton in the 2016 election, and run strong progressive candidates that play well to that particular district.
California, as it turns out, is now a key player in retaking the House. Candidates Katie Porter, Katie Hill, Mike Levin, Harley Rouda, Cisneros and others representing the Southern California delegation will be crucial to this strategy. A loss in any one of these districts could mean dashed dreams for activists who have been organizing for nearly two years to bring about the much-anticipated blue wave.
Cisneros is up for the challenge. He joined the Resist Report this week for an exclusive interview to discuss the race, why he got into it, why he thinks health care is the most important issue in America, and the nature of the zany race in CA-39.
Interested in campaigning for Gil Cisneros in CA-39? We have added a slew of events featuring Cisneros thanks to our partnership with Mobilize America, including phone bank and canvassing opportunities for Cisneros and any one of the other candidates we have featured in our Race for 2018 Interview Series.
