With Donald Trump in office and riled-up liberals promising to deliver a blue wave, giving control of the House of Representative to Democrats in November, certain districts that looked out of reach in the past for Democrats are suddenly in play. One...
With Donald Trump in office and riled-up liberals promising to deliver a blue wave, giving control of the House of Representative to Democrats in November, certain districts that looked out of reach in the past for Democrats are suddenly in play. One of these is California's 22nd district, which is currently represented by Republican Devin Nunes. His Democratic opponent, Andrew Janz, sat down with Salon's Amanda Marcotte for a "Salon Talks" interview about turning his red district blue.
Janz highlighted his work as a violent crimes prosecutor in Fresno as experience he needs to represent the district, saying, "I'm out in the community every single day, working for victims of some of the most horrific crimes. I see a lot of the needs of the community."
California has been caught up in the national debate more than many states, and not just because of its size. Trump has turned the state into a symbol of hated liberalism, and state officials have been punching back, holding Trump accountable for his attacks on environmental and immigration policies that California needs in order to function as the enormous, forward-moving community that it is.
In the view above, Janz addresses a number of these state issues that have grown national, from the water shortages that stem from climate change to the way that prioritizing fighting crime over immigration enforcement causes conservatives to demonize California cities.
Watch the video to hear Janz comment on Nunes, who has been accused of trying to thwart an investigation into Trump's possible role in a conspiracy with Russian officials to steal from Democratic campaign workers. While emphasizing that his constituents want to hear about jobs, health care and other concerns, Janz also said that the Russia investigation is "going to be one of the most important investigations ever undertaken in the United States of America."