Reelect Congressional Representative Juan Vargas to keep CA-52 on the right track for progress.

The Position

Congressmembers represent and advocate for the needs of their district constituents at the United States Capitol. They are responsible for creating, debating, and voting on legislation that addresses issues within their district.

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, the largest delegation in the country. There is no term limit for this position.

The District

California’s 52nd Congressional District includes parts of San Diego County. Democrats have held this district since 2003. Of the registered voters in this district, 19% are Republican and 47% are Democrat, and the district’s demographic breakdown is 51% Latino, 17% Asian, and 10% Black. This district is considered to be one of the 16 strong Latino seats in the California congressional delegation. After the 2021 redistricting process, CD-52 has remained largely unchanged, becoming just 1% more Democratic than it was during the 2020 general election cycle. The most recent election results show that CD-52 voted for Joe Biden for president in 2020 by 37 points and Gavin Newsom for governor in 2018 by 34 points.

The Race

There are six candidates running for this seat, including Democrat Incumbent Representative Vargas, Democratic challenger Joaquin Vazquez, and Republican challenger Bill Wells. Vargas’s campaign has raised $510,295 and is not funded by police money. Wells’s campaign has not committed to any campaign pledges and has only raised $25,253.

The Recommendation

Rep. Vargas, a longtime public servant, is from National City, CA, and now lives in San Diego. According to campaign materials, Rep. Vargas is running for reelection to continue serving the people of San Diego County. Rep. Vargas won his first congressional election in 2012 with over 70% of the vote, and won his 2020 reelection against a Republican challenger by 37 points.

Rep. Vargas’s priorities for CD-52 this year have included three pandemic response bills, and one bill benefitting noncitizen veterans; one pandemic response bill has successfully passed the House. He currently sits on the Financial Services Committee and the Committee on Foreign Affairs. This year, Rep. Vargas has voted 98% of the time with Nancy Pelosi and 96% of the time with Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez. Rep. Vargas diverged from Pelosi when he voted against the US Mexico Economic Partnership Act, and also when he voted against additional funding for the Department of Homeland Security. Rep. Vargas differed from Rep. Ocasio-Cortez when he voted in favor of additional defense funding, in favor of the USMCA Agreement, and in favor of COVID-19 relief, which Rep. Ocasio-Cortez said benefitted corporate interests over individuals.

Prior to his election to Congress, Rep. Vargas was elected to San Diego City Council, then the California State Assembly, and finally the state Senate. The son of Mexican immigrants, Rep. Vargas grew up and attended college in San Diego before entering the Jesuits. He is a longtime supporter of immigration reform and youth advocacy. While with the San Diego City Council and the California State Legislature, Rep. Vargas was particularly focused on protecting children from exploitation and abuse: he sponsored a bill that mandated school coaching staff report suspected abuse, as well as strengthened protections from smoking exposure and tobacco advertising for minors. In the United States House, he has sponsored and passed legislation to provide support services related to COVID-19 to Native American communities, and authored portions of the COVID-19 relief bill, the American Rescue Plan.

Rep. Vargas is a member of the Congressional Progressive Caucus, and has the endorsement of many progressive groups in the district, including Planned Parenthood, Equality California, and labor unions, such as United Healthcare Workers West. Based on our analysis, Rep. Vargas’s track record and policy positions demonstrate that he will continue to be a progressive voice for the constituents of CD-52 and will govern effectively in the best interest of this diverse district. Close Window