About the 49th Congressional District
The 49th congressional district covers the northern coastal areas of San Diego County and a few cities in the southern part of Orange County. The district includes the cities of Dana Point, San Clemente, San Juan Capistrano, Oceanside, Vista, Carlsbad, Encinitas, Solana Beach, and Del Mar. Marine Corps Base Camp Pendleton is also in the district.
Congressman Darrell Issa (R) currently represents the 49th district. In the 2016 election, Issa won by a margin of less than 1 percentage point (1,621 votes) over challenger Doug Applegate (D). Issa has announced he is not seeking re-election.
In the 2018 election, this district is considered to be a major battleground that could determine control of the United States House of Representatives. Four Democrats have filed as candidates, including 2016 challenger Doug Applegate, Mike Levin, Sara Jacobs, and Paul Kerr. Eight Republicans have also jumped into the race, including Rocky Chavez, Diane Harkey, Kristin Gaspar, Brian Maryott, Joshua Schoonover, Mike Schmitt, David Medway, and Craig Nordal. All four Democratic candidates are strong. Doug Applegate and Mike Levin are the front-runners but late entrants Sara Jacobs and Paul Kerr are extremely wealthy and are spending vast sums of money to chip away at Applegate and Levin. On the Republican side, Rocky Chavez and Diane Harkey are way ahead of the pack with Kristin Gaspar a distant third and the rest of the candidates polling in the low single digits. The 49th district has an unusually balanced mix of Republican, Democratic, and Independent voters as measured by registration. Registered Republicans slightly outnumber Democrats but there is a huge block of Independent swing voters which will ultimately decide who will represent us in Congress. The primary election is on June 5, 2018. The top two vote-getters in the Primary (regardless of party affiliation) will face off in the General Election on November 6, 2018. TOTAL VOTERS REGISTERED IN THE 49TH DISTRICT AS OF JANUARY, 2018
381,905 49TH DISTRICT VOTER REGISTRATION BY PARTY AS OF JANUARY, 2018
37.1% REPUBLICAN 31.0% DEMOCRATIC 26.4% NO PARTY PREFERENCE |
About the Voices of the 49th web site and Facebook page
The 49th congressional district in Southern California is a critical battleground in 2018. The outcome of the election here will help determine control of the U.S. House of Representatives at a very important time.
While it may seem like the choice in 2018 is between individual candidates, don't be fooled: The real choice is between the Republican and Democratic visions for the country and the state.
The real choice is between helping President Trump with his agenda or fighting it. Between repealing and replacing Obamacare or protecting, fixing, and expanding it. Between tightening immigration and building a border wall or a more inclusive approach to immigration reform. Between fighting attempts to stop climate change or taking action now to preserve our planet for future generations. These are the big issues. Not the minor differences between candidates from the same party.
The Democratic candidates all have a lot in common when it comes to their positions on policies and issues. The Republican candidates share their own core values and positions as well. The choice should really be between two political philosophies and two visions for the future.
But that choice may be taken away from us.
The odds that the Democrats will get shut out in November are uncomfortably high. Doug Applegate is the current front-runner. Mike Levin is in second place. But Sara Jacobs and Paul Kerr, both late entrants into the race, have vast resources and are not hesitating to use them. They are unlikely to win but could very well pull enough support from Doug Applegate and Mike Levin to make sure that we’ll see Rocky Chavez and Diane Harkey on the ballot in November.
Having two Republicans on the November ballot is a terrible outcome. Not just for Democrats (who would be disenfranchised), but also for independent voters and for moderate Republicans who are looking for change.
This Facebook page, group, and affiliated web site were created to address the problems with the dysfunctional primary.
We are working hard to make sure that a crazy primary season does not deprive voters of a real choice in 2018. The winner in November should reflect the will of all the Californians in the district. That means that we get through the primary with a Democrat on the ballot for November.
We avoid disaster by educating, engaging, and informing voters. How? By getting this message out:
1. VOTE ON JUNE 5TH!
2. VOTE FOR THE DEMOCRATIC FRONT-RUNNER
In addition to spreading the word, we’ll bring voters news about the race and the candidates as well as discuss the issues with the jungle primary that are creating the potential for a shut-out in November.
We'll report out the results of reputable polls in the district and provide analysis. We've even gone so far as to commission our own poll (we worked with FM3 Research to survey the district in late April right before the mail ballots dropped).
Finally, we'll give voters access to lots of information from different sources including candidate campaign web sites (under the Candidate tabs above) and other links under the RESOURCES. These links are a direct line to independent sources for objective candidate profiles, campaign fundraising data, and other important information.
An educated and informed electorate is critical to a healthy democracy.
This web site and Facebook page are being moderated by volunteers for California 2020, an organization dedicated to promoting informed political choices in California. Software and administrative costs as well as sponsored posts are paid for by California 2020, www.california2020.org, and are not authorized by any candidate or candidate's committee.
While it may seem like the choice in 2018 is between individual candidates, don't be fooled: The real choice is between the Republican and Democratic visions for the country and the state.
The real choice is between helping President Trump with his agenda or fighting it. Between repealing and replacing Obamacare or protecting, fixing, and expanding it. Between tightening immigration and building a border wall or a more inclusive approach to immigration reform. Between fighting attempts to stop climate change or taking action now to preserve our planet for future generations. These are the big issues. Not the minor differences between candidates from the same party.
The Democratic candidates all have a lot in common when it comes to their positions on policies and issues. The Republican candidates share their own core values and positions as well. The choice should really be between two political philosophies and two visions for the future.
But that choice may be taken away from us.
The odds that the Democrats will get shut out in November are uncomfortably high. Doug Applegate is the current front-runner. Mike Levin is in second place. But Sara Jacobs and Paul Kerr, both late entrants into the race, have vast resources and are not hesitating to use them. They are unlikely to win but could very well pull enough support from Doug Applegate and Mike Levin to make sure that we’ll see Rocky Chavez and Diane Harkey on the ballot in November.
Having two Republicans on the November ballot is a terrible outcome. Not just for Democrats (who would be disenfranchised), but also for independent voters and for moderate Republicans who are looking for change.
This Facebook page, group, and affiliated web site were created to address the problems with the dysfunctional primary.
We are working hard to make sure that a crazy primary season does not deprive voters of a real choice in 2018. The winner in November should reflect the will of all the Californians in the district. That means that we get through the primary with a Democrat on the ballot for November.
We avoid disaster by educating, engaging, and informing voters. How? By getting this message out:
1. VOTE ON JUNE 5TH!
2. VOTE FOR THE DEMOCRATIC FRONT-RUNNER
In addition to spreading the word, we’ll bring voters news about the race and the candidates as well as discuss the issues with the jungle primary that are creating the potential for a shut-out in November.
We'll report out the results of reputable polls in the district and provide analysis. We've even gone so far as to commission our own poll (we worked with FM3 Research to survey the district in late April right before the mail ballots dropped).
Finally, we'll give voters access to lots of information from different sources including candidate campaign web sites (under the Candidate tabs above) and other links under the RESOURCES. These links are a direct line to independent sources for objective candidate profiles, campaign fundraising data, and other important information.
An educated and informed electorate is critical to a healthy democracy.
This web site and Facebook page are being moderated by volunteers for California 2020, an organization dedicated to promoting informed political choices in California. Software and administrative costs as well as sponsored posts are paid for by California 2020, www.california2020.org, and are not authorized by any candidate or candidate's committee.