Google ‘Fresno congressman,’ and Jim Costa’s name appears. That’s just how he likes it

In the end, there was no other place Jim Costa wanted to represent more than Fresno.

That became clear early Tuesday afternoon when he officially announced he would seek re-election to Congress by representing the newly drawn District 21.

The ink was barely dry on the new political-district boundaries that the California commission on redistricting had drawn when Costa made his intentions clear. And there was some irony to the news.

Currently, the 21st District stretches from Tulare County into Clovis and north Fresno. It is a solidly Republican stronghold, which is why Rep. Devin Nunes has safely won re-election term after term.

Now, under the new lines mapped out by the commission, District 21 will become a safe seat for a Democrat, with a Democratic lean of plus 16, according to a data analysis by the politics website fivethirtyeight.com. Nunes saw this coming, and rather than contest it, he chose to retire and go to work for former President Donald Trump.

The key for Costa is the fact that Fresno is in the 21st, starting in 2023.

“The city of Fresno has been always a part of my district, in the state Legislature and in Congress,” Costa told The Bee Editorial Board Tuesday. “It’s always been my base.”

Costa was first elected to Congress in 2004, and in that time, he has represented seven of the eight central San Joaquin Valley’s counties stretching from Merced to Kern.

That said, he will give up being the congressional representative for Madera and Merced counties, as he is now, to focus his service on Fresno and its outlying areas. Other cities in the new 21st are Sanger, Selma, Reedley, Parlier, Exeter and Dinuba.

It is only logical he would make that decision based on Fresno. Costa grew up on a dairy in the Kearney Park area, then attended San Joaquin Memorial High School and graduated from Fresno State with a degree in political science.

Improving transportation, attracting more doctors and assuring water for farmers have been his mainstay issues in recent years. Costa told the Editorial Board those would continue to be uppermost in his re-election effort.

“The Valley is my home, and I have had a wonderful opportunity to represent the people here in Sacramento and Washington,” he said, referring to his prior 24 years in the state Legislature.

Under congressional rules, a House member does not have to live in the district he or she represents. But in Costa’s case, his home is in Fresno. Tuesday’s campaign announcement reinforces that reality.

This story was originally published December 21, 2021 at 3:38 PM.