Democratic challenger is first to announce campaign against California Rep. Tom McClintock
California Republican Rep. Tom McClintock defeated two of his toughest opponents during the Trump administration, when Democrats across the country felt motivated to unseat GOP incumbents.
On Wednesday, he’ll get his first announced opponent for the 2022 midterms. This time, he’ll face a Navy veteran who thinks he can oust the longtime incumbent with a less partisan message.
Dr. Kermit Jones, a first-time candidate for office, said that he wanted to end the cycle of “career politicians” representing the district in an interview with The Sacramento Bee.
“I think what sets me apart is real life experience, having served people in multiple ways, and being able to bring tangible things to people,” he said. “When people want people to advocate for them, sometimes they want people that are actually on the ground as opposed to part of the machinery in the federal government.”
He said he supports stricter term limits and would return to his work practicing medicine and law after a period of time in office, if elected.
It will not be an easy feat for Jones.
McClintock has represented the district since 2009. The tightest race McClintock, R-Elk Grove, has faced was when he was first elected. That year, McClintock won by less than 2,000 votes, defeating a Democratic opponent with only 50.2% of the vote.
A Republican has represented the district, which stretches from Truckee along the Sierra Nevada down to parts of Fresno County, since 1993.
McClintock, a reliable conservative vote in Congress, has $300,900 on hand for his campaign, according to OpenSecrets, which tracks campaign finance data.
In 2020, McClintock beat Democratic opponent Brynne Kennedy, an entrepreneur and venture capitalist, with almost 56% of the vote. She tweeted in July that she would not run again in 2022.
In 2018, McClintock won against Democratic challenger Jessica Morse with more than 54% of the vote. Morse is now the Deputy Secretary for Forest and Wildfire Resilience in California.
Both Democrats raised more money than McClintock in their respective election years.
It is not clear how redistricting — the process by which congressional districts are redrawn based on Census data — could affect the 2022 race McClintock’s 4th Congressional Dstrict as California prepares to lose a seat in the House of Representatives, decreasing its delegation to 52 representatives. But the population has remained relatively stable in McClintock’s district, indicating that it might not be as affected as other areas which have had steeper population growth or decline.
Jones, a practicing doctor, served as a flight surgeon in the Navy in Iraq. After returning from deployment, he studied public policy and was a White House fellow in the Obama administration in 2012-2013.
Having obtained medical and law degrees from Duke University prior to his deployment, Jones worked as a regulatory and patent attorney in Washington, D.C., focusing on prescription drug safety, after his fellowship completed.
“It’s not just that he signed up after 9/11 to serve, or that he’s dedicated his life to keeping people healthy and alive. It’s that time and again, when Kermit Jones could just look out for himself, he instead looks to serve others,” said Jon Soltz, an Iraq War veteran and chairman of VoteVets, a progressive nonprofit and political action committee focused on military affairs, while announcing the organization’s endorsement of Dr. Jones.
His campaign is focused on increasing local access to health care, including by eliminating the need to travel for care, increasing affordability of prescription drugs and investing in technology to screen better for fatal issues. He also wants to invest in green technology to limit the effects of climate change and reduce wildfires and their negative health effects.
This story was originally published September 8, 2021 at 5:00 AM.
