Six people want to replace Devin Nunes in Congress. Here is who should get that chance

Rep. Devin Nunes’ retirement from Congress created an unusual political circumstance: Six candidates are now competing to replace him, but for only mere months.

That’s because whoever wins the April 5 special election to fill Nunes’ seat in the 22nd Congressional District will serve just to the end of this year. If no clear winner emerges in April, the top two finishers will then head to the June election. That winner will then have six months left to represent the district.

Confused? It is a curious thing to grasp, but it is reality for more than 415,000 voters in the district, which stretches from Tulare County north to Clovis and then to northeast Fresno.

Nunes, the San Joaquin Valley’s headline-grabbing conservative first elected in 2002, has moved on to become CEO of Trump Media & Technology Group for former President Donald Trump.

In his aftermath is a field of four Republican candidates and two Democrats. They want to represent a district that, come next January, will cease to exist, thanks to the every-10-year redistricting that just occurred.

Despite such a small amount of time on the political clock, the replacement representative has an important job. That person will be the main contact for constituents who need help with Social Security or Medi-Cal questions. Veterans will need assistance getting their benefits, as will farmers who might qualify for any agriculture relief programs. And the person will get to vote on legislation that comes up in the House of Representatives.

Of the six candidates, only one person has elected experience, and without question she is most equipped to handle all the tasks of hiring staff, setting up an office and getting things rolling from day one. The Bee Editorial Board recommends Republican Connie Conway of Tulare.

Valuable experience

Prior to her Assembly tenure, Conway was on the Board of Supervisors in Tulare County, letting her learn politics at the local level.

She was then in the California Assembly from 2008-14. From 2011 through 2014, she was the GOP leader in the lower house, meaning she led the minority party in the Assembly. In that role, she learned the art of compromise and working “across the aisle” with Democrats so that GOP initiatives would be taken seriously. Among those she conferred with was then Gov. Jerry Brown.

Following her time in the Assembly, Conway was appointed by former President Donald Trump as California executive director of the federal Department of Agriculture’s Farm Service Agency. It administered more than $100 million in safety net and disaster relief programs serving California farmers, ranchers, foresters, and agricultural producers.

She points out that she knows most of the California delegation currently serving in the House. Conway also plans to serve out just the balance of the Nunes’ term. “I only want to serve one master. For me, I will be singularly focused.”

She is more apt to seek tax cuts, for example, than favor programs that would benefit low-income people in the 22nd District, one of the nation’s poorest areas.

But this fill-in election is unique, and Conway’s candidacy to be the short-term replacement is a rarity among politicians. She will be effective from the moment she wins the seat, and it is notable she harbors no higher aspirations. Conway is convincing in saying she wants to represent the entirety of the 22nd. Voters would do well to give her that chance.

Crowded field

The other GOP candidates campaigning are:

▪ Elizabeth Heng: A Fresnan whose parents immigrated from Cambodia, Heng ran against Rep. Jim Costa, D-Fresno, in 2018. She is the founder of a technology company that offers an encrypted internet browser for greater user security. Heng’s key points focus on protecting personal freedoms and initiative.

▪ Michael Maher: He grew up in Tulare and today lives in Kingsburg. He served on a nuclear submarine in the Navy before receiving a medical discharge. Today he operates an aviation business. Maher describes himself as a “John McCain Republican” willing to act independently of party politics. He plans to also run for the new 21st District in the June primary.

Matt Stoll: A Visalia resident, Stoll is a former Navy F-18 fighter pilot who flew combat missions in Iraq and Afghanistan. He now runs several small businesses and is a real estate agent and contractor. Stoll wants to improve economic conditions for small business owners and public safety.

The Democrats campaigning are:

Eric Garcia: A Clovis resident and Fresno native, Garica is a former Marine who handled secret information for the signal corps. He left military service in 2012 and today is working on a master’s in marriage and family therapy. A key issue for him is universal health care. If everyone is healthy, prosperity for all will result, he believes. Garcia ran for the seat in 2020, finishing fifth in the primary with 2.7% of the ballots cast. He is also a candidate for the newly drawn 21st District, which is on the June ballot.

Lourin Hubbard: Hubbard has improving education and health care and reforming immigration among his key issues. A Fresno resident and operations manager for the Regional Water Quality Control Board, he also wants to support family farms and “break up ‘Big Ag’, end their sweetheart tax breaks, foster more competition.”

As of last August, there were 415,000 voters in the 22nd District. Of those, 38.8% were Republican, while Democrats made up 33.8%.

If no candidate receives 50% plus one of the votes in the April 5 special election, a runoff will be held at the regularly scheduled June 7 primary.