Kelly Seyarto for Senate District 32

With redistricting come new political opportunities.

In the newly drawn state Senate District 32, voters in communities ranging from Chino Hills and Norco to Murrieta and Temecula have their choice of two very different candidates.

Republican Assemblyman Kelly Seyarto is the clear favorite in this race. A longtime Murrieta councilman and mayor, he was elected to the Assembly two years ago on a standard Republican platform of public safety, pushing back against the excesses of Sacramento and addressing very practical issues like wildfires. To the latter point, Seyarto was a career firefighter.

In contrast, his Democratic opponent, political newcomer Brian Nash, isn’t your typical candidate for state Senate. Born and raised in the Midwest, Nash is relatively new to California. His campaign website includes, among other things, a music playlist of punk rock classics.

In interviews with the Southern California News Group editorial board, the experience gap was quite evident. Whereas Seyarto completely understands the nuances and realities of lawmaking in Sacramento, Nash tends to speak in generalities.

Nash is clearly more politically motivated by what’s happening at the national stage, with a major political driver of his being to stand up to Trumpism and “bullies” like Trump. And while that may well be justified, that doesn’t necessarily make one the best candidate to serve in the California Senate.

Seyarto spoke credibly about the need for a fiscally conservative approach in the state Capitol.

Drawing on his experience in local government before and after the 2008 recession, Seyarto is well aware that while the state may be boasting of a surplus today, that could vanish tomorrow if things go south.

At a time when the supermajority in the Legislature is happy to create new programs and spend frivolously, it is important to have more practical voices in Sacramento to call out what needs to be called out.

We encourage Nash to remain politically engaged, but he might be better served putting his political energies in local offices first. For now, we think Seyarto is best suited to represent Senate District 32 and encourage his election.