Poll shows Justin Fareed leading in congressional race

July 19, 2016

OPINION by ZACK HUNTER

Last week, a new poll showed Justin Fareed leading career politician Salud Carbajal in the race to replace Lois Capps in California’s 24th District. Fareed is up by two points, leading 46 percent to 44 percent.

Additionally, “a plurality of voters in the district (38 percent) would prefer a Congressperson who has never held office,” a clear sign that Carbajal’s insider status will hurt him in November. Voters have just begun to get to know Carbajal, and they don’t like him.

Carbajal’s vulnerabilities are real and will move the needle as more 24th District families learn just how out of touch he is.

Here’s why Fareed is beating Carbajal:

Career politician Salud Carbajal puts party politics before the people.

“Democrat Salud Carbajal is an insider [who’s] got the support of Capps and House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi,” according to the Pacific Coast Business Times.

Endorsed by Lois Capps and Nancy Pelosi, Salud Carbajal is proving to be just another political insider who will vote the way the DC establishment tells him to with total disregard for the people of the Central Coast.

DCCC and Carbajal campaign try to hide corrupt fundraising tactics.

“Carbajal led the successful charge to approve a highly questionable billionaire’s bailout on behalf of Los Angeles developer…who is unto shopping malls what Walt Disney was to theme parks,” according to the Santa Barbara Independent. 

Carbajal is bought and paid for by outside special interest groups. In 2011, Carbajal took $15,000 from an LA developer, then voted to offer his contributor a $15-million-dollar tax break. The Santa Barbara Independent deemed the arrangement as “getting a bonus just for showing up to work.”

There’s more where that came from. After 12 years of giving special consideration to contributors, Carbajal will have to answer serious questions about his corrupt fundraising tactics.

Carbajal will say whatever it takes to get elected.

While many middle class families along the Central Coast have struggled to get ahead, Carbajal has approved millions in tax increases and thousands in fees on the middle class over the last 12 years as a county supervisor. Carbajal raised taxes for transportation on working families, as a “reminder of why we tax ourselves.”

Carbajal also voted to raise fees on new Santa Barbara County homeowners, and voted to double fees for county parks.

“Despite warnings from the construction and building industry that raising the fees for permit processing was both counterproductive and insensitive…,” according to the Lompoc Record.

If raising taxes and fees on working families isn’t bad enough, Carbajal voted for a $30 increase in land development permits to pay for higher salaries and benefits for government employees.

Carbajal looks out for his best interests, not Central Coast values.

“[Carbajal] has tens of thousands of dollars in personal credit card debt. According to financial disclosure forms, the amount is between $35,001 and $80,000,” according to the Santa Barbara Independent.

Carbajal voted to increase his pay four separate times while mismanaging his own personal finances.

Zach Hunter is the regional press secretary for the National Republican Congressional Committee.