SACRAMENTO, Calif. — California's District 3 in the U.S. House of Representatives has a new, wide-open seat.
The area covers a stretch east of the Sierra from Inyo County up to Plumas County, and because of re-districting, there is no incumbent.
But, most of the district’s voters live in the suburbs of the foothills where Republican candidate Kevin Kiley is a recognizable name in a republican-leaning district.
“I was born and raised in the communities of our district here," said Kevin Kiley, U.S. House Republican Candidate.
The state assemblyman from Rocklin is often referred to as a GOP darling and a consistent critic of Gov. Gavin Newsom. The 37-year-old Ivy-League-educated lawyer also ran for governor in last year’s recall race- and was endorsed by Former President Donald Trump in the primary race.
“I'm not someone who's just going to, you know, tow the party line on every issue, what I'm going to do is look at every issue individually, and evaluate what is best for the folks that I represent," said Kiley.
He adds the state is on the wrong track with liberal policies and is running a campaign to take California in a new direction. As an assemblyman, he engaged in efforts to review Proposition 47 and suspend the state gas tax.
“What we're really focused on is the struggles that people are facing in their lives right now, with soaring inflation with out-of-control gas, and grocery prices, with the crisis at our border with communities that are becoming less and less safe,” said Kiley.
Democratic Candidate Dr. Kermit Jones says he sees these issues as interconnected.
“I think safety is tied pretty directly to our economy," said Jones. "There are a lot of people that are suffering right now. So we need to fix our economy, make sure that we fund the police.”
The 46-year-old Placerville Navy surgeon turned family doctor is running on a relatively moderate campaign with issues focusing on the rising costs of healthcare, homelessness, and infrastructure and jobs. He says he’s not a career politician.
“My training as a physician, I never ask someone whether they're Democrat or Republican, I just take care of them," said Jones.
On the issue of abortion rights: Jones, says his stance is clear.
“When a woman is trying to make some of the most consequential decisions of her life, or patients of high of mine in which they would have died without an abortion," he said. "This is not a political issue. It's not an issue that people should use for political climbing.”
Jones is endorsed by the Planned Parenthood Action Fund and NARAL Pro-Choice America.
Kiley is endorsed by the California ProLife Council and Right to Life Federation. Though he voted against several state bills that would provide more access to women seeking abortions, Kiley’s campaign has he would oppose making abortion a federal issue.
“That's a state issue, and I'm running for federal office," said Kiley. "So I have no plans and nothing that I do will affect the level of access that is available in California, right now.”
The two candidates do find common ground when it comes to wildfire prevention.
“We need to prioritize forest management," said Kiley. "We need to also remove these senseless regulations that get in the way of forest management.”
“Give people tax rebates to harden their homes, get the federal government on the hook for actually doing the fuel reduction that it needs to on federal lands," said Jones.
Between the two campaigns, a total of $5.5M has been invested in this race, with each candidate raising roughly the same amount.
