Two Democrats face off in 38th District race, with Rep. Linda Sanchez heavily favored to win reelection
In the heavily blue 38th congressional district, Democratic Rep. Linda Sanchez appears on track to clinch a tenth term in congress, but first-time candidate and fellow Democrat Michael Tolar hopes his campaign will push the party further to the left.
Sanchez and Tolar were the only candidates in the primary for CA-38, which includes portions of Los Angeles and Orange counties. So the two Democrats, both from Whittier, advanced to the Nov. 3 general election, with Sanchez scoring 77.7% of the vote to Tolar’s 22.3%.
They agree on many key issues, supporting policies such as universal healthcare and California’s sanctuary laws to protect undocumented immigrants. But on some issues, Tolar skews further left. For example, he supports calls to defund the police in the wake of racial justice protests.
Given the gaps in experience, name recognition and campaign cash — Sanchez sits on $954,900 while Tolar hasn’t reported any fundraising – Sanchez is expected to easily win reelection.
But Tolar said he remains inspired by the spate of younger candidates who won congressional seats in 2018. And he’s hoping his personal story, grassroots campaign and pledge to keep “fighting for everyday people” will resonate with voters.
Tolar, 27, was born on a military base in Louisiana and said his family struggled to make ends meet growing up. He went to work straight out of high school, but started studying political science at Rio Hondo Community College at the age of 24 and graduated in May.
He’s billing himself as a progressive candidate who supports policies such as a ban on assault weapons, expanded social security benefits for people with disabilities, the Green New Deal, higher wages for workers, free tuition to public universities and trade schools, and sensible rent control.
Sanchez supports many of the same policies. And she ranks slightly more left than the average House Democrat, according to GovTrack.us, a nonpartisan site that tracks congress.
Sanchez, 51, was born in Orange to parents who immigrated from Mexico. She worked as a bilingual aide as she put herself through law school at UCLA. Before she was elected to office in 2002 to represent what was then the 39th District, Sanchez’s legal practice was focused on working with organized labor.
Given that background, much of her effort in congress has focused on issues such as worker safety and bringing back overseas jobs, along with tax reform, retirement security and supporting public education. Recently, Sanchez cosponsored legislation focused on tax deductions for musicians, extending emergency healthcare coverage and offering grants for nonprofits during the pandemic.
One scandal that threatened to throw a wrench into Sanchez’s otherwise near-certain reelection no longer poses an issue for her this cycle.
Sanchez’s husband, James Sullivan, is facing charges under a 2018 federal indictment that he and former colleagues on the Connecticut Municipal Electric Energy Cooperative diverted more than $1 million in federal funds for pricey golfing excursions and trips to the Kentucky Derby. Sanchez, who was allegedly a guest on some of those trips, withdrew from a 2018 bid to become House Democratic Caucus chair over the allegations.
Her husband’s trial was scheduled to start in October, just before the election. But due to the Covid-19 pandemic, local media report the trial start date has been pushed back to April.
The two Democrats will be on the ballot together Nov. 3. Ballots will be mailed to all registered voters starting Oct. 5.
Voters can register or verify their registration status at registertovote.ca.gov. They can return their ballots through the mail, at a secure drop box or at a vote center, which will open a few days before Nov. 3. And voters can get automatically updated on the status of their ballots by signing up for alerts at california.ballottrax.net/voter.