House Republicans view California’s 21st Congressional District as a strong pickup opportunity in the party’s longshot bid to recapture the majority they lost two years ago. And it’s getting ugly on the ground in the Central Valley as the race tightens and both campaigns throw jabs.
Rep. T.J. Cox, a California Democrat who won the seat in 2018 against Republican incumbent Rep. David Valadao, is locked in a brutal rematch to hold the district, extending across Kings County and areas of Fresno, Tulare, and Kern counties.
Cox raised almost as much as Valadao in 2018 and beat the California Republican by less than 1,000 votes. The district was one of seven Republicans lost in California, as House Democrats won their first majority in eight years. Now, it’s a key component in Hosue Republican efforts to regain the majority, which will take a net pickup of about 17 seats. That’s a prospect that looks more difficult since Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden leads President Trump in polls.
Cox and Valadao are nearly neck and neck in terms of their current fundraising and cash on hand levels. And the Cook Political Report rates the race as a tossup in the D+5 Democratic district.
Cox described to the Washington Examiner his campaigning methods in the district while staying aware of the COVID-19 environment.
“We’re naturally or socially distanced. We wear all of our PPE’s. We’re actually getting out there quite a bit,” he said. “I can tell you, we go to every corner of the district, and people are all saying, ‘Hey, thank you so much. You keep on showing up.’”
Cox then referenced his past (and current) opponent, who previously held the job.
“The guy before never showed up. The guy before, he voted with Trump, a hundred percent of the time,” Cox said.
He added, “Everybody knows who I am and who my opponent was, so we’re continuing to work hard.”
Valadao’s campaign manager Andrew Renteria hit back at Cox, telling the Washington Examiner in an email statement: “David’s long, bipartisan record of doing what is right for the Central Valley, not any political party, speaks for itself. Since TJ Cox does not live or pay taxes in the district, he may just now be learning about David’s work with President Obama to deliver more water to the Valley and how he opposed his party leadership to co-sponsor the DREAM Act. No amount of false, negative ads from TJ Cox and his special interest supporters in Washington DC can change those facts.”
Republicans also amplified an ethics complaint filed against Cox with the Office of Congressional Ethics this week by the Foundation for Accountability and Civic Trust, a conservative Washington-based watchdog group.
According to the complaint, Cox used his position as a member of Congress to get two vehicle passes to Yosemite National Park when he was initially denied the request “due to the personal nature of this visit” and officials urged him to try to get passes he same way the general public obtains them.
Cox’s campaign manager Amanda Sands previously stated when the story first surfaced on Aug. 6 that the accusation was “a meritless partisan attack by the Trump administration and other desperate Republicans.”
House Republicans say they have momentum in California House races. They point to their recent special election win in a northern Los Angeles County House district where they won back the seat they lost in 2018 to political newcomer Katie Hill, who resigned from office in November 2019 following a sex scandal.
But Cox is unfazed by the comparison.
“What we saw in CA-25 is that outreach wasn’t out there, and so, we’re making sure that we contact each and every voter where you want to make sure that they know how to vote and exercise that right,” said Cox. “This is a race that we’re leaving nothing to chance we’re going to work. The reason why we won last time is we outworked our opponent, and we’re not going to get outworked this time either.”
