Know your candidates: District 1 congressional race
5 vie for seat in U.S. House of Representatives
CHICO >> There are five total candidates in the primary election for the 1st Congressional District of California, including the incumbent, Republican Doug LaMalfa, and the democratic candidate who ran against him in 2018, Audrey Denney.
The 1st Congressional District makes up most of the northeastern, inland territory of the state, including
all of Butte, Lassen, Modoc, Plumas, Shasta, Sierra, Siskiyou and Tehama counties,
as well as portions of Glenn, Nevada and Placer counties.
The top two vote-getters in the March primary will go on to the regular election in November. Last year, LaMalfa received 54.9% of the vote and Denney received 45.1%.
Gregory Cheadle
Gregory Cheadle is a businessman from Redding; he is running as an independent candidate.
His campaign page states he has a Masters degree in Public Administration with an emphasis in healthcare administration and a law degree. Cheadle said he has also worked as “a real estate broker, luxury playhouse builder, author, lecturer and has a teaching credential.”
Cheadle has run in every California 1st Congressional District election since 2012. His website states that he is running on a platform concerned with issues of “freedom from corporate and political party control, compassion for the disabled, concern for veterans, protection of seniors (and) dismissal of political correctness.”
The candidate lists himself as pro-Second Amendment, pro-life and supports energy independence. He also lists himself against a national healthcare system and illegal immigration.
In 2016, he received national attention when thenRepublican presidential candidate Donald Trump visited Redding for a campaign rally and pointed him out in the mostlywhite crowd, saying, “Look
at my African American over here. Look at him. Are you the greatest? You know what I’m talking about.”
Cheadle left the Republican party in 2019, citing disappointment in the president’s stance on racial issues.
For more information on this candidate, visit his campaign website at www. cheadleforcongress.com.
Audrey Denney
Democrat and educator Audrey Denney ran for the same seat in the 2018 election, in the closest race the incumbent has ever faced for the district. But she said she always knew she’d be trying again in 2020.
“I was never just running once, I was always planning on making a two-cycle run,” Denney said. She said she believed the district would eventually “become winnable for someone like me in 2020.”
Denney said some of her focuses would be on forest
health and fire prevention, and bringing rural healthcare, more careers and technical education opportunities to the district.
The campaign reported receiving 13,797 contributions for a total of over $750,000, as of Jan. 31. During the most recent filing date with the Federal Elections Commission, in August, the bulk of Denny’s contributions were from individual donors.
“I really, really believe that the people who live in California’s first district, regardless of party affiliation, are ready for a new type of leadership,” she said. “I believe they’re ready for a leader who works for every single person. I believe they’re ready for a person who is responsible to the people and not to special interests.”
For more information on this candidate, visit her campaign website at www. audreyforcongress.com.
Doug LaMalfa
Incumbent congressman LaMalfa has represented District 1 since 2013. He
is a Republican and lives in Richvale. LaMalfa is a fourth-generation rice farmer, and began his political career in the California State Assembly, where he represented the 2nd District, before he moved on to the State Senate where he served as minority whip.
“I’ve been around a while so people kind to know what to expect,” LaMalfa said. “We’re always working to advance the issues to help rural California and rural America.”
Some of the issues he highlighted were an interest in infrastructure, flood control systems, water storage system and broadband communications
In August, LaMalfa reported raising a total of $349,055. $132,275 came from individuals and $215,339 from committees. New totals are expected to be announced today; representatives for LaMalfa did not respond to a request to share those numbers before deadline.
To date, LaMalfa has received an A rating from the National Rifle Association
and $21,850 in funds. In 2014, he was named an “anti-LGBT” politician by the Human Rights Campaign. He also currently has a B rating from NumbersUSA, which opposes both legal and illegal immigration.
For more information on this candidate, visit his campaign website at www. douglamalfa.com.
Joseph LeTourneau IV
Joseph LeTourneau IV is running as an independent candidate. He was born in Fresno and works as the basketball coach at McCloud High School, where he helped to rebuild the school’s athletic program. He also recently led a leadership course at the high school.
He has written several books and travels to give speeches encouraging young leaders. He and his wife Jill, along with their seven children, have lived for several years in Ethiopia, Israel and Palestine working with the Dutton Foundation.
LeTourneau said he
“(seeks) to go beyond issue-based politics to heal culture, empower people locally in their unique purposes and talents, find new solutions rather than the ‘tug-o-war’ of partisan politics and give liberty to people and families instead of the overreaching legislation that has crept in.”
His focus is primarily on poverty, homelessness, youth, term limits and a socioeconomic plan.
According to his website, LeTourneau supports small businesses, gun rights “with common-sense regulations,” term limits, lowering taxes and strong borders, among other issues.
LeTourneau did not file with the FEC in August, and stated that his campaign is still under the $5,000 threshold as of Jan. 29.
For more information on this candidate, visit his campaign website at www. letourneauforhouse.com.
Rob Lydon
Rob Lydon is running as a Democrat. He is a doctor of veterinary medicine working in Shingletown.
According to the website for the Shingletown Animal Clinic, Lydon is a graduate of Chico State and the UC Davis Veterinary School, and he is the sole doctor at the clinic. He is also described as “an avid endurance rider and breeder of Arabian horses.”
Lydon does not have a campaign website, but on his personal Facebook page, he stated in a post dated Dec. 27 that he is running as a Democrat.
“The lines between the parties keep moving, and I have found that my core beliefs — dignity, respect and opportunity — are slightly more accurately represented by that designation at this time,” Lydon wrote. “I am not a politician, just a regular guy, frustrated by the disconnect between government and the people, who decided to try to do something about it.”
Lydon did not respond to a request for comment, nor to a request for his financial information. He did not file with the FEC in August, which suggests that he has not yet met the $5,000 threshold required for reporting.
For more information on this candidate, visit his Facebook page at www. facebook.com/rob.lydon.18.