Democratic Candidate in the Spotlight: Mike Levin of California’s 49th District
Since 2003, California’s 49th Congressional District has been represented by Republican Darrell Issa. In 2016, Issa won re-election by six tenths of a percentage point over Democrat Doug Applegate. He is not seeking reelection in 2018, leaving the seat open for the taking. Mike Levin is the Democratic Candidate for California’s 49th District. To succeed Issa, he will have to defeat Republican Diane Harkey.
Harkey currently serves as chairman of the California State Board of Equalization, though she has not acquitted herself particularly well in that position, to say the least. On May 17th, 2017, the LA Times put out an article with the headline, “Accused of mismanagement, California’s tax collection agency ‘is in complete disarray,’ officials say.” Governor Jerry Brown relieved the board of much of its decision making responsibility, and reduced its staff considerably in response to these allegations, which largely focused on nepotism and manipulations of taxpayer money and resources for the benefit of Harkey and her political career. Her family business was separately sued for elder abuse as part of an alleged Ponzi Scheme against its investors. If that weren’t enough, she also carries an “A” rating from the NRA, so needless to say, it would be less than ideal for her to win election this November.
Levin, however, would be an excellent choice to fill Issa’s seat, even if his opponent were someone with the requisite moral character to hold public office. He grew up in South Orange County, and then attended Stanford University, where he was the student body president. He then attended the Duke University School of Law. Since then, Levin has served as Executive Director of the Democratic Party of Orange County while continuing to practice law. His focus as a lawyer has for the most part been on environmental issues.
Levin co-founded Sustain OC in Orange County, and for some time serving on the board of the Center for Sustainable Energy. He was named to the OC METRO 40 under 40 in 2011 for his contributions to the development of sustainable energy solutions. Levin later notably sent Issa a copy of “Climate Change for Beginners” as a Christmas gift in December of 2016.
Aside from his strong focus on clean energy and sustainability, Levin also emphasizes his desire to see Medicare for All become a reality. He has pledged to defend the ACA, as well as a woman’s right to choose. He has also spoken out against the Trump administration’s treatment of immigrants and LGBTQ individuals.
Though the 49th has long been represented by a Republican, many publications have identified it as leaning increasingly towards the Democrats, an assessment that is supported by Clinton’s win over Trump in the district by 7.5 percentage points. We are confident Levin will continue that trend.
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