Re-elect Congressional Representative Gil Cisneros to keep CA-39 on the right track.

About the Position

The United States is divided into 435 congressional districts, each with a population of about 710,000 individuals. Each district elects a representative to the House of Representatives for a two-year term. California has 53 congressional representatives. There is no term limit for this position.  

About the District

California's 39th Congressional District includes parts of Los Angeles, Orange, and San Bernardino Counties. Republicans held this district from 2011 to 2018, when Gil Cisneros won and flipped CA-39 from red to blue. In 2016, Democrat Hillary Clinton won this district by an 8.6 percent margin. In 2018, Republican John Cox won this district in the gubernatorial general election by a narrow margin of 0.8 percent.

About the Race

In the primary, Democrat incumbent Representative Gil Cisneros trailed Republican challenger Young Kim by a margin of 1.4 percent. Cisneros’s campaign has pledged not to take fossil fuel money and has followed through on that commitment. He also pledged not to take corporate PAC funding, but he did attend a fundraiser hosted by corporate lobbyists. Kim’s campaign is backed by the Republican Super PAC Congressional Leadership Fund, which is dedicated to winning a Republican majority in the House of Representatives.

About the Candidate

Rep. Cisneros, a veteran and education advocate, is from Los Angeles. According to campaign materials, Rep. Cisneros is running for re-election to ensure that future generations have access to a ladder of opportunities similar to what was available to him through the Navy.

Rep. Cisneros’s priorities for CA-39 this year have included advocating for Small Business Development Centers, education programs that serve Hispanic- and Minority-Serving Institutions, students with disabilities and English language learners, Emergency Solutions Grants to prevent homelessness and the Community Development Block Grants, and funding for public health agencies. He currently sits on two committees: Veterans' Affairs (ranks 11th) and Armed Services (ranks 20th). This year, Rep. Cisneros has voted 100 percent of the time with Nancy Pelosi and 93 percent of the time with Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez. His divergence from Rep. Ocasio-Cortez included votes in favor of the National Defense Authorization Act, the U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement Implementation Act, and appropriations for the Department of the Interior. Rep. Cisneros has sponsored 15 bills about armed forces, national security, and immigration this year. Of those bills, five have been referred to committee, eight are in committee, and two have been received by the Senate.

Rep. Cisneros is endorsed by a strong majority of progressive groups in the district. He is also endorsed by the Los Angeles County Professional Peace Officers Association. However, the threat of Republican challenger and strong Trump supporter Kim’s potential policies greatly outweighs Cisneros’s moderate voting record and inaction on campaign financing. According to our analysis, Rep. Cisneros is the strongest choice for equitable and representative leadership in office.