Congressman Raul Ruiz may face Raul Ruiz in 2020
Rep. Raul Ruiz, D-Palm Desert, has two opponents tentatively planning to challenge him in the November 2020 election for California’s 36th district seat for the U.S. House of Representatives. Ruiz will be seeking his fifth term.
Initially, Republican Jesse Fallon Glick was the only opponent. However, another candidate just threw his hat in the ring and he happens to have the same name as the district’s current congressman, Raul Ruiz. This newcomer Ruiz is running as a Republican.
Ruiz grew up in Riverside County and owns a construction company in Perris. He transformed his life from homeless to business owner. “He has lived the American dream,” according to the biography on his website, www.ruizforcongress.com.
Peter Towey, Republican Ruiz’s consultant, confirmed that Ruiz does not live in the 36th district. He resides in district 41 represented by Democrat Mark Takano. Living in the district is not a requirement to run for the seat.
“He [Ruiz] has lived in Riverside County his entire life,” Towey said. “He has built homes all over the county from Hemet to Palm Springs.”
Ruiz’s priority is smaller and less intrusive government.
On his website, he posted the following statement, “He sees the big government policies that AOC [Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-New York], Congressman Ruiz and the rest of the liberal partisans in congress are pushing and knows that they are threatening what makes this country great — our ability to start and grow businesses, support our families, and improve our communities.”
Neither Republican, Ruiz nor Glick, have filed any other financial or campaign reports with the Federal Election Commission. The next quarterly report on campaign finances is due Sept. 30 and available in early October.
Congressman Ruiz was first elected in 2012, when he upset incumbent Mary Bono Mack and was reelected in 2014, 2016 and 2018. In each election, his percentage of the votes cast has grown.
