Endorsement: Ammar Campa-Najjar is the clear choice in the 50th Congressional District

[Zorro]

In the 50th Congressional District race between Democrat Ammar Campa-Najjar and Republican Darrell Issa, The San Diego Union-Tribune Editorial Board endorses Campa-Najjar.

The 50th Congressional District — in eastern and east-central San Diego County and part of Riverside County — was represented for nearly 40 years by conservative Republicans Duncan Hunter and his son — until Duncan D. Hunter resigned in January after being convicted in a campaign fundraising scandal he dismissed as fake news for years. Unfortunately, the two candidates vying to replace him aren’t quite able to tell it like it is themselves.

Still, one — Democrat Ammar Campa-Najjar — fails this test as many politicians before him have — with a finger in the wind — and the other — Republican Darrell Issa — fails it unacceptably.

They both have strengths. Both used social media during last month’s quickly spreading wildfires to offer assistance, with Campa-Najjar even sharing his cellphone number for any constituent to contact. Both are whip-smart with a firm grasp on the issues and a flair for explaining them, which makes their faults all the more disappointing.

Campa-Najjar — who nearly defeated the younger Hunter in 2018 — is a 31-year-old former White House fellow and former communications director of the U.S. Hispanic Chamber of Commerce. He is an East County native and San Diego State graduate and, as a person of Palestinian and Mexican American descent, would be a breath of fresh air in a Congress still dominated by older White men. Yet on certain issues, it’s fair to question his convictions.

https://www.sandiegouniontribune.com/opinion/editorials/story/2020-10-07/endorsement-ammar-campa-najjar-50th-congressional-district-2020-election

Campa-Najjar has been pretty evasive this election cycle, but hopefully he will take more progressive positions on the issues if he wins. He is an infinitely better choice than Issa.