November 2022 Voter Guide for San Diego’s DC Delegation

First in an irregular series

Here we go folks! It’s time for my take on candidates who appear on assorted San Diegan ballots in the General Election. California is a mail-in ballot-friendly state, which means voters should see their ballot about one month prior to the official election date.(Nov 8)

I’ve been working on San Diego voter guides for a decade now across several platforms. It’s a labor of love and I hope you’ll find it useful. There are a lot of candidates to cover. Given that this is a one person operation, I’ll do as many as time allows.

As I’ve honed my skills and received feedback over the years, the KISS (Keep It Simple…) format has proven to be a winner with readers. Each listing provides the basic facts, along with linked guideposts for readers wanting more information. I throw in my two cents at the end, and won’t be offended if you disagree with me.

Our daily newspaper of record, aka The San Diego Union-Tribune, deserves a shout out here for their herculean effort to get as many local candidates on the record as staffing and time will allow. The Voice of San Diego also devotes resources to election coverage.

I may not agree with their choice of framing, candidate questions and/or their endorsements, but I do respect an honest effort to keep people informed. Where relevant I’ll point readers toward articles I found useful.

About the time that mail-in ballots go out, I’ll fold all my individual posts into one comprehensive overview. Please note that, because I use a newsletter format these days, that final piece will include any updates and corrections.

Some housekeeping matters: The symbol * means a candidate is an incumbent. Internet sources are largely derived from candidates' websites; if I click on a link and it does not work, I won’t list it.  I wish I could do more on campaign finance, but the reality is that many of the important expenditures and donations come late in the cycle. 

And, outside of the odious activities of so-called independent expenditure groups, it’s my observation that donation limits and reporting requirements don’t easily lend themselves to cause and effect analysis. Endorsements and party support (which may be procured with promises for future favors) are more important.

Let me be clear about a couple of things here: I have standards for judging candidates that include openly supporting our democracy and upholding the rights so many groups fought for in the 20th century. Any candidate who projects meanspiritedness and resorts to name calling over policy ideas is a non-starter for me, and I’ll say so here. 

And one other thing: politicians who use the phrase  “common sense” anything are a deal breaker for me, regardless of which side of the political spectrum they come from.

U.S. Senate

When Kamala Harris was elected Vice President, Gov. Newsom appointed Alex Padilla to represent California in the US Senate. Voters confirmed that choice last June; now he’s seeking a term on his own right.

(Diane Feinstein is up for reelection until 2024. I sincerely hope she chooses to retire)

Alex Padilla*- Democratic Party Endorsed Candidate
​Website / Facebook / Twitter/ Instagram
Media Profile worth reading: San Diego Union-Tribune candidate questions  
My two cents: Padilla is a nice liberal who says all the right things for people who might be scared of AOC or some other spin by Faux Spews. We should keep him. Who knows? Maybe he actually can use his first gen immigrant knowledge to draft meaningful legislation.  

Mark Meuser - Republican Party Endorsed Candidate
​Website / Facebook / Twitter/ Instagram
Media Profile worth reading: San Diego Union-Tribune candidate questions 
My two cents: Any candidate who is mealy mouthed about the January 6 coup attempt is not worthy of your vote. 

U.S. Congress

House of Representatives  - District 48

Stephen Houlahan -  Democratic Party Endorsed Candidate
Website / Facebook
Media profile worth reading: San Diego Union-Tribune candidate questions 
My two cents: The well-spoken ex-city council person from Santee is unfortunately up against beelzebub in a district where a party label transcends concerns about actual public service, legal niceties, or moral character. I’d tell you to vote early and often for Houlahan, but that would be taken literally and encourage the local crazies to harass poll workers. 

Darrell Issa * - Republican Party Endorsed Candidate
Website ## / Facebook/ Twitter/
Media profile worth reading: San Diego Union-Tribune candidate questions 
My two cents: If this guy’s lips are moving, he’s lying and probably being nasty about it.
FYI- ##-Website isn’t secure to visit safely, according to Google. So much for his tech expertise.

House of Representatives - District 49 

Mike Levin* - Democratic Party Endorsed Candidate
Website / Facebook/ Twitter/ Instagram
Media profile worth reading: San Diego Union-Tribune candidate questions 
My two cents: Levin has done what he said he would do during his last campaign, namely keeping the environment at the top of his list of policy concerns and veterans as an important constituency when it comes to service. His district is a little less blue than last time out, so it’s important not to assume a repeat victory.

Brian Maryott - Republican Party Endorsed Candidate
Website / Facebook/ Twitter/ Instagram
Media profile worth reading: San Diego Union-Tribune candidate questions 
My two cents: He’s a throwback candidate to the days where his party gave lip service to fiscal restraint and pretended that businessmen were more qualified than most to govern. That said, I can’t imagine him saying NO to Rep. Kevin McCarthy’s plans to be the obstructionist in chief in the next session of congress. 

House of Representatives - District 50 

Scott Peters*- Democratic Party Endorsed Candidate
Website / Facebook/ Twitter/ Instagram
Media profile worth reading: San Diego Union-Tribune candidate questions 
My two cents: Like it or not, he’s the only Democrat on the ballot for this seat. I’ll settle for half a loaf when it comes to policy and hope for the best. He does have a good record for constituent service. 

Corey Gustafsen - Republican Party Endorsed Candidate
Website / Facebook/ Twitter/ Instagram
Media profile worth reading: San Diego Union-Tribune candidate questions 
My two cents: He’s the official candidate of the invisible hand of the market crowd. Promising to cut taxes and slash regulations are the only arrows in his quiver. Oh, and he thinks we’d be paying less for medical care if Obamacare was repealed. 

House of Representatives - District 51 

Sara Jacobs* -  Democratic Party Endorsed Candidate
Website / Facebook / Twitter / Instagram
Media profile worth reading: San Diego Union-Tribune candidate questions 
My two cents: I am truly bummed that I was redistricted out of the 51st. She’s played nice on the Hill when needed and naughty when it comes to things like civil disobedience as a response to the Supreme’s gutting of Roe v Wade. A real keeper. 

Stan Caplan - Republican Party Endorsed Candidate
Website / Facebook / Twitter / Instagram
Media profile worth reading: San Diego Union-Tribune candidate questions 
My two cents: Since this guy responded to a query about January 6 with questions, I’ve got a few of my own. Why is it that all these Republican candidates think inflation is simply a domestic issue? Is Joe Biden responsible for Brazil’s (higher) inflation? Can they really be that stupid? And do all these guys think they can claim mental illness is the cause of mass shootings while voting against providing such care? 

House of Representatives - District 52 

Juan Vargas* -  Democratic Party Endorsed Candidate
Website / Facebook / Twitter
Media profile worth reading:  San Diego Union-Tribune candidate questions (From April) 
My two cents: : A worthy representative for the South Bay, who understands and cares about issues relevant to his constituents. He has been criticized from the left for being chummy with our corporate overlords, but in the end I find his voting record to be A-OK.

Tyler Geffeney -  Republican Party Endorsed Candidate
Website / Facebook / Instagram
Media profile worth reading: San Diego Union-Tribune candidate questions (From April)
My two cents: As of the end of July, 2022, the Republican Party is in third place in terms of voter registration in the 52nd. Maybe it’s just me, but it seems like running on a platform built around “the Democratic Party is destroying America” isn’t very smart.

***NEXT UP– Executive and legislative contests for Sacramento 

Email me at: WritetoDougPorter@Gmail.com