The Importance of California’s 3rd Congressional District Election

California’s 3rd Congressional District Election Slated for this year

California’s 3rd Congressional District, which is comprised of Colusa, Sutter, Yuba, Glenn, Lake, Solano, Yolo and a portion of Sacramento county, is set to have its election this year. The primary will occur on June 7, 2022, and the general election will occur on November 8, 2022. While there are multiple candidates, a few have stood out to the public over the last few months.

When Kevin Kiley made his run for California’s 3rd Congressional District public on December 29th, 2021, he was faced with unexpected competition. In January, Sacramento County Sheriff, Scott Jones, announced his run against Kiley. 

In elections, politicians historically have an easier time winning elections due to their experience with the voting system and appealing to the public. An example of an experienced politician is Kevin Kiley, a Republican attorney and politician who represents the 6th district outside of northeast Sacramento. He serves in the California State Assembly and was also a candidate to replace Governor Gavin Newsom (D) in last year’s recall election. 

Regarding California’s 3rd Congressional District Election, while Kevin Kiley has experience as a politician, some say that Scott Jones makes up for his lack of political experience due to his ability to address community-based needs. Scott Jones has stated that he will be more efficient in reducing crime given his experience as a sheriff. In the past decade, many Americans have wanted to stray away from electing too many politicians, believing that is the root cause of corruption. Thus, despite Kevin Kiley’s social media popularity, Scott Jones has a chance given that it is his second run for Congress. In 2016, Scott Jones lost by less than a 3% margin to Representative Ami Bera, a Democrat from Elk Grove.

Aside from the competition brewing in the Republican party in this race, Dr. Kermit Jones (D), a Roseville doctor and veteran, is also up against other candidates in the Spring primary. It is statistically more probable for Dr. Jones to retain most of the votes needed to win, however, as the 3rd Congressional District has been held onto by Democrats for many years now. In fact, the California Democratic Party recently endorsed Dr. Jones. 

So, what is the importance of California’s 3rd Congressional District election? On a national level, a win by a Republican could put the nation a step closer to a change in which party holds the majority in the House of Representatives. The Democratic Party currently holds the majority, but Republican candidates are hoping to overturn this, as only a few more seats need to flip. In contrast, Democratic Candidates are hoping to preserve the party’s majority by winning these elections. Since only a small number of seats are needed to remove or maintain a majority, every election is vital for both parties.