Here’s the best candidate to represent the Valley’s 16th District in Congress
The best choice for voters in the 16th Congressional District who want their representative to be effective is the longtime incumbent, Democrat Jim Costa.
His Republican challenger, Kevin Cookingham, is a first-time candidate who is guided by a desire to serve, his Christian faith and his love of country. But his views are too conservative for a part of California where Democrats have a 20-point lead in registration over the GOP. In fact, those registered as no-party preference almost equal the number of Republicans.
Additionally, Cookingham’s responses in the interview with The Bee’s Editorial Board were at times strident and showed a lack of finesse and willingness to compromise — qualities that will be needed in the hyperpartisan atmosphere of Washington, D.C. If he got elected, Cookingham would serve in the minority party in the House, which would limit what he could accomplish.
The 16th District stretches from southeast Fresno to downtown to parts of central Fresno and the westside of the city, then extends to cover western Madera County and all of Merced County.
Like other congressional districts in the San Joaquin Valley, the 16th has a high rate of poverty. Twenty-four percent of the district’s residents receive food assistance, one of the highest percentages in the nation.
Final two
The pair emerged from the March primary from a field of four candidates. Cookingham was the lone Republican and had the easier path to the general election. Costa, meanwhile, had to defeat two Democratic challengers, Fresno City Council member Esmeralda Soria and Kim Williams, a progressive from Merced.
Costa and Cookingham both live in Fresno.
Background
Costa is a descendant of Portguese immigrants who started farming in the Valley more than a century ago. He is a Fresno State graduate.
To say Costa is a professional politician would be on the mark: He graduated from Fresno State in 1974. Four years later, he was elected to the state Assembly, and he has held elective office almost every year since.
Cookingham grew up on a family ranch in Fresno, picking crops and tending livestock in his early years. He too is a Fresno State graduate, and later worked for Clovis Unified School District for 25 years. He also had a stint as a director at Hume Lake Christian Camps in the Sierra.
Goals and issues
If re-elected, one of Costa’s top goals would continue to be securing funding to create a medical school in the Valley. The region suffers from a doctor shortage; having a local program for physician training would improve the chances of graduates staying here, he believes.
The candidates have clear differences on key issues.
When it comes to providing health insurance through the Affordable Care Act, Costa is for it, and Cookingham is opposed. “Health care is a fundamental need; health insurance is not,” Cookingham says on his campaign website, explaining that community health clinics can be used for routine care and hospital ERs for emergencies..
On the issue of abortion, Costa favors a woman’s right to choose and has a 100% rating from the National Abortion and Reproductive Rights League. Cookingham is anti-abortion and says the highest value needs to be placed on the unborn while giving pregnant women “counseling support for those who have been deceived into having an abortion.”
On climate change, Costa believes it is caused by humans and must be addressed for future generations to survive. He wants America to rejoin the Paris Agreement, the global effort to bring down greenhouse gas emissions.
Cookingham is not sure how much nations are contributing to climate change and says progressive politicians’ ideas for dealing with it will bankrupt America.
Recommendation
Costa began serving in Congress in 2005, and his long course in Congress has been marked by moderation. He is a member of the bipartisan Problem Solvers Caucus, a group of 25 Republican and 25 Democratic representatives who seek common ground on legislation.
For his moderation, better political fit with constituents, and the deep knowledge and experience he brings to the job, Costa is well suited to continue representing the 16th District in Congress. The Bee stands by its recommendation in the primary and encourages 16th District voters to choose Costa for Congress.
How The Bee came to this recommendation
The Bee’s Editorial Board consists of Publisher Tim Ritchey, Editor Joe Kieta, Opinion Editor Tad Weber, Vida en el Valle Editor Juan Esparza Loera, and Vida Staff Writer Maria Ortiz-Briones. Because of the coronavirus pandemic, the board conducted in-depth online interviews via Zoom with Rep. Jim Costa and challenger Kevin Cookingham. Additional research about the candidates was also done using publicly accessible online sources and The Bee’s archives. Candidates must meet with the board to earn a recommendation.
The recommendation is just that: a helpful opinion meant to guide readers as they reach their own decision on which candidate to choose. This recommendation is the opinion the Editorial Board; the news staff does not play any role in its creation.
This story was originally published October 4, 2020 at 6:00 AM.