Why Donald Trump could help determine who becomes a new Sacramento-area congressman
Donald Trump won’t be on the ballot this year, but he could be a big player in California’s new 3rd Congressional District.
Trump won 50% of the 2020 vote in this sprawling district, which stretches from Plumas County, through Sacramento suburbs, parts of El Dorado County and down to Inyo County.
That gives the new 3rd potential to be a true swing district, giving it a big say in who winds up controlling the House next year..
Republicans need a net gain of five seats nationally to win control of the House in November, which means the party cannot afford to lose seats its now holds.
While the 3rd has no incumbent, it’s regarded as Republican turf, since its voters have given edges to Republican candidates in recent years.
So far, GOP contenders Kevin Kiley and Scott Jones are making it very clear their campaigns are about what they can do for the new district, not about their views past or present about Trump. The former president and his major backers have stayed out of the race.
But the Democrats’ congressional campaign committee is bringing Trump into the race, saying both Kiley and Jones have histories of being cozy with, or at least sympathetic to, the former president as well as people Democrats call right-wing extremists.
“It’s clear Scott Jones and Kevin Kiley are too afraid of Donald Trump to tell voters the truth,” said Madison Mundy, Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee spokeswoman.
“As Washington Republicans declare January 6th ‘legitimate political discourse,’ northern Californians deserve to know if these candidates would throw out their votes to please extremists in their party,” she said.
The Republican National Committee, the GOP’s governing board, voted earlier this month to describe people at the Capitol on January 6, 2021, the day of the insurrection, as engaging in legitimate political discourse. About 770 people have been arrested and charged in connection with the riot.
Trump and the Republicans
It’s going to be a tough district for Democrats to win, said Kyle Kondik, managing editor of the nonpartisan Sabato’s Crystal Ball, which rates the district as “likely Republican.”
“With a Democrat in the White House, and an unpopular one at that, I think it’s a heavy lift, although it’s competitive enough that it merits attention from Democrats this year (or in years to follow),” he said.
Kermit Jones, the leading Democratic candidate for the congressional seat, emphasizes that he’s running on issues of particular concern to the district, such as health care, fire insurance and help for veterans. He says he’s not pushing for a referendum on Trump.
“They didn’t ask my opinion” about the Trump comments, he said of the DCCC’s statements.
Kiley, an assemblyman from Rocklin, condemned the violence at the Capitol January 6.
Jones, the Sacramento County sheriff since 2010, said that there were three separate Washington events on January 6: A protest, a Trump rally and the insurrection. While he supposed the rally and protest were legitimate discourse, he said the riot was not.
”Riots, and the illegal acts that followed must be accounted for by those that committed them,” he told The Sacramento Bee.
He said two of his deputies were identified as having attended Trump’s rally. He said “An investigation determined they were only at the rally, and did not go to or enter the Capitol. They attended at their own expense.”
Kiley and Trump
In 2016, Kiley did not support any presidential candidate during the primary season because he was a state candidate who said he did not get involved in federal matters.
Kiley voted for Trump in the general election in both 2016 and 2020.
In August, 2021, the Los Angeles Times editorial board asked Kiley who was the legitimate winner of the 2020 presidential election. Trump maintains the election was riddled with fraud, an allegation that has been disproven over and over.
”I don’t delve into electoral politics at all. The electoral college voted and… that’s who determines the powers of the presidency in our system,” Kiley said.
Asked if the election was stolen, he reiterated, “I don’t delve into national politics. Nice try. That’s what Gavin Newsom wants us to do.”
Last week, The Bee asked again if Biden was legitimately elected. “I’m looking ahead to the next election. I don’t think it does us any good to be litigating past battles,” Kiley said.
As a state assemblyman, he added, “I’ve seen how the party in power has used the machinery of the political process to give themselves an advantage.”
The 3rd District race
Kiley and Scott Jones both say their race is not about Trump.
“I do not expect President Trump to have any direct influence in my race. As he is not a candidate for any office, I don’t expect to be speaking for him (or vice versa) on any issues during my campaign, other than commenting on policies of his administration,” Jones said.
He did add that “there are many policies promulgated during his administration that I support.” Jones has been a strong supporter of tougher immigration policies, and visited the White House in 2018 to discuss policy.
Asked about the role of Trump and his policies in his campaign, Kiley said, ”I stay in my lane. My job is to make state policy. I’m running a campaign based on issues I care about. People will try to make it about other things. But we have a strong message about what I can accomplish.”
This story was originally published March 2, 2022 at 5:00 AM.
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