How Republicans Scott Jones and Kevin Kiley differ in this Sacramento-area congressional race
Kevin Kiley got the California Republican Party endorsement. Scott Jones was a guest on Fox News’ “Ingraham Angle,” a favorite stop for staunch conservatives, to talk tough against illegal immigration.
Those two recent developments illustrate the contrast between the styles and strategies of the top Republicans seeking the new 3rd congressional district seat.
Kiley, an assemblyman from Rocklin, added the statewide endorsement to a list of supporters that includes former Gov. Pete Wilson, Rep. Jay Obernolte, R-Hesperia, dozens of local officials and the Republican parties of five of the counties he would represent if elected.
Jones is running as the self-described “law and order constitution candidate for Congress” with the backing of three conservative California congressmen.
Republican consultant Matt Rexroad described the Kiley-Jones race this way: “Kiley has the support of the hard core partisans.. When they all weighed in for him, that got him the California Republican Party. I still think Jones is the favorite in the race.
“Jones is the Sheriff in a time when crime is a huge issue,” he said. “The D.C. folks are pulling for Jones and will make sure he has the money.”
Jones and Kiley are both playing to their strengths, said Jacob Rubashkin, analyst for the Washington-based Inside Elections, a nonpartisan group that analyzes congressional races.
For Jones, “as a candidate with a law enforcement background, particularly in the Republican Party, it means hitting on a lot of those (law and order) notes.
“Kiley’s path is that he’s going to raise a lot of money, he’s gonna garner endorsements from names voters recognize” and he’s proven adept at getting media coverage, Rubashkin said.
Kiley’s GOP support
This is a seat Republicans badly want to retain. The party needs a net gain of five seats to win control of Congress in the November election. Democrats are making a big push, as Navy veteran and physician Kermit Jones is vying for the seat.
The district includes the counties of Placer, Nevada, Mono, Sierra, Inyo, Plumas and Alpine and parts of Sacramento, El Dorado, and Yuba counties. Republicans regard victory there as crucial, since former President Donald Trump won 50% of the vote in the district in 2020 and parts of the district have been represented by a Republican in Congress.
Kiley won the support of the state Republican party as its board of directors approved the endorsement at its monthly meeting on Wednesday night.
The board votes to endorse candidates if they have received the backing of local county parties that represent at least 80% of the Republicans represented in the district. Kiley has picked up endorsements from Nevada, Placer, El Dorado, Yuba and Inyo counties.
Kiley, a candidate in the unsuccessful movement to recall Gov. Gavin Newsom last year, also has Wilson’s support.
The former governor described Kiley as “a champion for restoring constitutional and limited government, stronger border security, and for ending runaway spending that feeds inflation and has exploded our national debt in a way that menaces our children’s future.”
Jones boasts a list of endorsements from some powerful conservatives, including Reps. Tom McClintock, R-Elk Grove, Doug LaMalfa, R-Oroville and Darrell Issa, R-San Marcos.
He noted that the state party endorsement was no surprise and was “based on a handful of county committee endorsements mostly from areas Kevin Kiley has represented.” Kiley’s assembly district includes two of the endorsing counties.
Scott Jones’ pitch
Jones pointed to what he called “the most important endorsements in this race,” citing the local congressmen whose current districts comprise much of the new one. Jones also cited endorsements from Gun Owners of America, Crime Victims United, the California State Sheriff’s Association, Slavic Pastor’s Association, and the Professional Bail Agents of the United States.
Jones is stressing his record and views on law and order, and elaborated on the Ingraham show as he spoke about his long fight against illegal immigration.
Jones and Ingraham discussed the case of David Mora for about three and a half minutes.
On Feb. 28, Mora went to The Church in Arden Arcade and killed his three young daughters and a chaperone who was supervising his court-ordered visitation. He then killed himself.
Associated Press reported that Mora, a Mexico native, had overstayed his visitor visa.
Jones said the Mora case was another example of someone who should not have been in this country committing a crime.
Because of the incident, “There’s more blood on the hands of California legislators and the federal government and the politicians that support it,” the sheriff said.
Kiley has also spoken out about the killer’s immigration status. “This unspeakable tragedy was avoidable. I have called on the Legislature to end the Sanctuary State immediately,” he said this week on his blog.
Kiley noted that he too has been a guest on news shows. Last month, he spoke on Fox News about his efforts to get tougher on crime. He discussed his push to repeal 2014’s Proposition 47, which decriminalized several nonviolent crimes such as shoplifting.. An Assembly committee this week killed the bill.
Later, Jones gently outlined the contrast between himself and Kiley, emphasizing he was not attacking Kiley, just summing up what he saw as the contrast.
“He is a politician. I am a sheriff,” Jones said.
This story was originally published March 21, 2022 at 5:00 AM.
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