Democratic Candidate in the Spotlight: Gil Cisneros of California’s 39th District

In 2010, Gil Cisneros was between jobs. His wife, Jackie, was working overnight as a freelance assignment editor at a Los Angeles news station. Then they won a $266 million dollars Mega Millions jackpot.

After accepting the money in a $90 million dollar lump sum, they didn’t splurge very much. They bought a house, took a trip to Hawaii. Gil bought a new car, a GNC Denali, but that was all in the way of personal luxury items. They used some of the money to create endowments at their alma maters. And then donated $1.25 million dollars to partner on a campaign with the Hispanic Scholarship Fund.

Since then, Cisneros has started two nonprofit organizations to help improve education, particularly for Latino students. Aside from education, he also prioritizes improving the nation’s health care situation.

A registered Republican until 2008, Cisneros has said of his decision to switch party allegiances, “This is a diverse country that we live in and we need to be inclusive. And right now I don’t think the Republican Party is being very inclusive.”

The situation in California’s 39th District is a difficult one. The incumbent, Ed Royce, announced in January that he would not be running for reelection, leaving the Democrats with a good opportunity to seize the seat. The 39th had already been a target, as Clinton had won the district by almost nine points in the 2016 election, after previously leaning red in 2008 and 2012.

However, there has been such strong negativity among candidates during the lead up to the all-party primary that the party felt the need to step in to avoid potentially splitting votes, which might have allowed two Republican candidates to advance. Fortunately this was avoided, and Cisneros will now face Young Kim in November.

Kim has not been particularly forthcoming on her stances to key issues, leading to questions about what voters can expect from her. She has, in particular, not voiced support for the Affordable Care Act, or for protecting DREAMers, which are key points for Cisneros. Kim goes as far on her website to discuss increasing border security, and making sure minors detained at the border are “treated with compassion.” This is troubling rhetoric that belies a less than humanistic overall policy. With all that she has not said, it would be fair to be very wary of her other leanings, especially given that she has been working with and for incumbent Royce for over 25 years.

Cisneros, a ten-year Navy veteran, carries an endorsement from VoteVets. In his first political ad, Cisneros said, “Leaders must lead with their actions as well as their words. It’s a lesson I learned during my years of service in the Navy. So when fortune struck, I knew it was my duty to do what was right, to help those who needed it most.” Hopefully he will have the opportunity to bring this sense of duty to Congress.

To donate to Gil Cisneros’s campaign, you can get started by rounding up your spare change here with GroundUp, the grassroots fundraising platform helping you to fund Democrats.