Farmworker challenges #2 Republican in Congress

<figure id="attachment_28355" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-28355" style="width: 300px" class="wp-caption alignright"><a href="http://laprensa-sandiego.org/stories/farmworker-challenges-2-republican…; rel="attachment wp-att-28355"><img loading="lazy" class="size-medium wp-image-28355" src="/sites/default/files/2014/09/Raul-Garcia-300x253.jpg" alt="Farmworker Raul Garcia is challenging #2 Republican in Congress for November elections. Photo courtesy of Tanya X. Leonzo " width="300" height="253"></a><figcaption id="caption-attachment-28355" class="wp-caption-text">Farmworker Raul Garcia is challenging #2 Republican in Congress for November elections. Photo courtesy of Tanya X. Leonzo</figcaption></figure>
Raúl García came to USA as a teenager. He benefitted from the immigration reform of 1986 (Immigration Reform and Control Act) and later became a US naturalized citizen.
García still works in the fields. Currently he is harvesting tomatoes near Bakersfield during the night shift.
Over the years, he got fed up with electoral promises becoming nothing more than “business as usual where nothing happens” once a candidate gets elected.
So he decided enough is enough and he jumped into the political waters as a write-in candidate for US Congress, challenging one of the most powerful incumbents, Kevin McCarthy, the #2 top-ranked Republican.
Welcome to 23rd. Congressional District, which covers a big mountainous area north of Los Angeles, part of two national parks —Sequoia and Kings Canyon—, the Southern part of the San Joaquin Valley and only one medium size city, Bakersfield.
Like most rural areas, District 23 has high unemployment rate —14.5 percent— and low rate of college graduates —less than 20 percent. The ethnic composition is about 50 percent white and 35 percent Latinos from a population of 710,000 living in the area. Agriculture is the main economic activity.
During the June 2014 primaries, Raúl García received 313 votes as a write-in candidate, coming in second place after incumbent McCarthy, who received 58,334 votes. The two candidates with the most votes advance to a run-off election on November 4, 2014.
“I made the decision to run because I always listened to candidates talking about farmworkers and how they will do positive things for them…. But then when they win, they do nothing,” said García during a phone conversation with La Prensa. “I am a farmworker and I know what we need.”
Garcia doesn’t have the money to run a competitive congressional campaign, yet he is convinced he could defeat Rep Kevin McCarthy, if the Democratic Party supports him. The district leans Republican with a 15% registration advantage over the Democratic Party.
About his chances to win the elections in November, García knows numbers are not on his side, but he is confident.
“More and more people support me, lots of young people who are afraid their parents might be deported are behind me,” he said. And he insists that the incumbent, Kevin McCarthy, opposes an immigration reform. “I am sure Republicans won’t change their minds on this.”
For Garcia, the three main campaign topics are:
Immigration reform: “An immigration reform is urgent. Many farmworkers have been here for a long time, they have families here, children… It would be very painful if they are deported.”
Stop deportations: “This is not helping our people, its hurting our families.”
Control of farmworkers’ salaries: “Farmworkers don’t receive what employers promise. There are always excuses to pay them less. When we go to the store, nobody asks us if we got paid or how much… We just pay the marked prices. But our incomes vary constantly and there is no control.”
According to García, based on his experience, a farmworker’s annual income is $15-20,000 dollars if he or she works all year round, which is not the case for most of the workers.
Garcia is a soft spoken person who likes to explain precisely his point of views. He was born 46 years ago in Baja California, Mexico. His mother is from Sinaloa and his father from Guanajuato. He came to United States at a very young age and lives in Wasco, north of Bakersfield, with his wife and two daughters.
According to the McCarthy website (<a href="http://kevinmccarthy.house.gov" target="_blank">http://kevinmccarthy.house.gov</a>), his stance on the issue of immigration sounds like a typical Republican speech: “[…] we should to continue embrace the individuals who wait in line and come to the US legally to work hard and contribute to our society. However, we should not provide any amnesty that would benefit those who defy our laws and enter the United States illegally. In order to reduce the number of illegal immigrants in our country, we must enforce the laws that already exist. In order to do this, we must secure our border by using both physical as well as electronic barriers. We should also ensure that illegal immigrants are not receiving any of the benefits that are reserved for American Citizens.”
Garcia’s campaign just released its first TV add (<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f3IuL7WxYr4&feature=youtu.be" target="_blank">https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f3IuL7WxYr4&feature=youtu.be</a>) in which he asks his opponent, Mr. McCarthy, “While we are waiting for you on immigration reform, who should be harvesting America’s food?”
He says he is pleased with the message.
“We have to look after farmworkers… They work no matter the weather conditions… Rain, cold or high heat, they work, they bring food to your table,” said Garcia with emotion. “They support the economy, they pay taxes, and they don’t steal anything. Immigration reform is a fair demand.”

Farmworker challenges #2 Republican in Congress

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