Races of the week: Escobar vs. Sanchez

California's 39th District

Escobar vs. Sanchez

The California state legislature designed the new 39th District to be a Democratic stronghold. Indeed, 54.7% of its registered voters are Democrats, compared to 27.9% registered Republicans. The district includes the communities of West and South Whittier, La Mirada, Cerritos, Artesia, Hawaiian Gardens, Lakewood, Lynwood, Paramount, and South Gate.

Unlike his Democratic opponent Linda Sanchez, conservative Republican hopeful Tim Escobar grew up in the district and currently resides in La Mirada. At 19, he joined the Army and became a warrant officer aviator. Escobar briefly attended college in Cerritos and Fullerton and eventually received a degree in aeronautics from Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University. Prior to working for Merrill Lynch, he worked for McDonnell Douglas Astronautics and Aircraft Companies, where he gained first-hand experience in dealing with labor unions:

Interestingly, the GOP hopeful was a member of the United Auto Workers and the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers. Beside his job at Merrill Lynch, Escobar serves in the Army National Guard as an attack and air assault pilot.

Escobar is also very active in the La Mirada community. A former president of the La Mirada Chamber of Commerce, he frequently speaks to students about drug abuse, as well as the advantages of hard work and success-which he proves with his own career. "My dad was an example for us, working two or three jobs and teaching us the importance of being self-reliant, and as a Christian, self-governing," he recalls.

"Carpetbagger" is a term skeptics have applied to recent Orange County resident Sanchez, sister of incumbent liberal Rep. Loretta Sanchez (D.-Calif.). According to an article in the Whittier Daily Press, Linda Sanchez registered to vote in Lakewood only in March of 2001.

Prior to the primary this March, in what more than a few observers felt was blatant pandering to Hispanic voters, she reverted to being called by her maiden name, rather than her married name of "Valentine." Tim Escobar is also of Hispanic origin, but he refuses to focus on that. "People shouldn't vote for me only because I'm an Escobar... I believe in E Pluribus Unum. Americanism is an ideology, not a bloodline;' says Escobar.

Like her sister Loretta (lifetime American Conservative Union rating: 14%), Linda Sanchez has been criticized about her interactions with Playboy Enterprises. Linda Sanchez received a contribution from Christie Hefner of Playboy Enterprises. She has also received campaign funds from EMILY's List, Tom Daschle's DashPAC, former Secretary of Labor Donna Shalala, and the AFL-CIO.

Tim Escobar received 70% of the vote in the Republican primary after running-in contrast to Sanchez in the Democratic contest-a positive campaign against primary opponent Richard B. Owens. After the election, Escobar even offered Owens a position in his campaign. Owens said that he would "stand united with Tim Escobar."

Giving hope to the Republicans in the 39th is the difficult primary race Sanchez had, which she ended up winning with less than 35% of the vote. She has been highly criticized, even by Democrats, for her negative campaigning throughout the contest. She even went so far as to accuse opponent Hector De La Torre of corruption, despite the fact that prosecutors within the district had praised De La Torre for his fight against fraud and corruption.

According to Escobar, "There's a very large anti-Linda sentiment here. She really beat up a lot of people who were well liked. Even people who have voted Democratic all their lives are telling me, `I'm going to call all my friends and tell them to support you.'"

Despite the fact that the new 39th District is primarily Democratic, eight of the ten communities it comprises are currently represented by two Republican congressmen-- Ed Royce and Steve Horn. Both have strongly endorsed Escobar. "Tim's military and aerospace experience, along with his community involvement, makes him a uniquely qualified candidate," said Royce. "I will be proud to work alongside him in Congress to represent this area. Tim Escobar represents everything that's good about America."

(Tim Escobar for Congress, P.O. Box 253, La Mirada, Calif 90638; 818-242-3049)

Copyright Human Events Publishing, Inc. Jul 22, 2002
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