In the last two weeks, I’ve interviewed over a dozen candidates. Some of them were great and some were far from that. https://secure.actblue.com/donate/blueamerica18?refcode=CnLA&recurring=12&tandembox=show was one of the great ones— not just because her policy perspective was perfect but because she is brilliant and courageous and, despite her youth— 26— is one of the best-prepared candidates by experience I’ve talked to all year.
Cheyenne is running in an Orange County swing district with a vulnerable Republican incumbent, Michelle Steel, an anti-Choice closet MAGA who made it into Congress by beating an independently wealthy conservative New Dem incumbent. In 2020 Biden won this district (the way it is currently configured) by 6.2 points— 52.1 to 46.0%. The district’s partisan lean is D+5. Although Steel, a non-resident, famously bragged about the district’s beautiful beaches, it is a landlocked district whose biggest cities are Garden Grove, Fullerton, Westminster, Buena Park, Fountain Valley, Placenta, Cypress, Cerritos and Brea.
Cheyenne is not independently wealthy and not a conservative New Dem, two attributes the DCCC is always looking for in candidates. A former law clerk for Amy Klobuchar, she worked for the Senate Judiciary Committee, gaining the real experience of how things get done in DC, something no one else in her crowded primary has.
She struck me as fearless, a quality I wish more Democrats were imbued with. This week we saw the way she talks about "Everybody" Agrees: Tax The Rich... Except The Rich, Who Don't Even Agree That They Are Rich" making the very wealthy pay their fair share. “Extreme wealth inequality,” she told me “tears at the fabric of our society, undermining the very essence of the American Dream’s fundamental promise: Opportunity. It's not just a social issue; it's an economic hurdle that hampers mobility and stifles innovation. Supporting the Oligarch Act is a no-brainer for any representative who cares about addressing rampant wealth inequality. It’s a common sense measure to make sure the ultra-wealthy pay their fair share.”
But today I asked her to talk about another subject most politicians would rather avoid: Israel’s onslaught in Gaza.
A Ceasefire
-by Cheyenne Hunt
Over 26,000 people have lost their lives since October 7th, over 100 days of suffering for a conflict with no path to peace. Our government should not stand idle and allow civilians to suffer the consequences of inaction. We need a ceasefire.
The attack on October 7th was a brutal terrorist attack by Hamas against our ally Israel, and Israel has every right to defend itself. But if we want a meaningful path to peace and any hope for the safe return of all hostages, then a ceasefire is our first step.
But clearly, Benjamin Netanyahu’s government has responded to those attacks in absolutely inhumane and cruel ways. An average of 300 Palestinian lives are lost every day— and women and children makeup about 70% of those lives lost.
Beyond those unfathomable, innocent deaths, it’s also clear that endless fighting and immeasurable loss are not moving us toward a more stable, durable, and peaceful solution. The indiscriminate bombing of Palestinian neighborhoods does nothing to further the interests of peace, security, or human dignity.
Support for our allies can’t be unconditional. All aid to Israel must be conditioned upon them abiding by international human rights laws. We have lost too many innocent lives already, and it's beyond time that we call on our leaders to seek any opportunity to end violence.
Thanks for always doing what you can to help make this a better world,
Howie, for the entire Blue America team
