GOP Candidate’s Mideast Peace Focus Could Undercut California Democrats’ House Redistricting Plan
A little-known former seminary student and father of two has unexpectedly emerged as a possible finalist in California’s newly redrawn 6th Congressional District, creating a potential roadblock for Democrats’ redistricting strategy. The candidate, Stansfield, financed his campaign with a home loan to cover about $17,000 in filing fees and ran without staff, donors, or a visible campaign. Despite that, early primary results showed him holding second place, which could prevent Democrats from securing one of the seats they had hoped to gain under the new map.
California voters approved the state’s redistricting effort last year as part of Democrats’ effort to counter Republican map changes in other states ahead of the midterm elections. Party strategists expected the top two finishers in the district to include at least one Democrat. Instead, Stansfield’s unexpected performance highlighted how unpredictable local campaigns can be, even in carefully drawn districts designed to favor one party.
The district stretches from Sacramento into Republican-leaning suburbs to the east and was created by splitting a conservative area held by Republican Rep. Kevin Kiley and combining it with a more Democratic-leaning region. Kiley left the Republican Party and ran as an independent, and early results showed him receiving the most votes. With Stansfield the only candidate on the ballot marked as a Republican, he benefited from a crowded Democratic field that divided the party’s vote. Democrats still expected late-counted mail ballots to favor their candidates and potentially push one of them ahead of Stansfield.
Stansfield said his campaign was not driven by ambition to win but by a desire to promote peace in the Middle East and to show that Christianity, Judaism and Islam can coexist. He said he is married to a Muslim woman from the Middle East, and that his views were shaped in part by being expelled from seminary after arguing that Palestinians have a biblical right to the Holy Land. He previously ran for Congress in Oregon in 2018 as a Democrat but lost badly. In that campaign, he described himself as Jewish and emphasized tolerance, diversity and humanitarian concerns, including support for water and medical supplies for Gaza.
Stansfield said he left the Democratic Party after the Israel-Hamas war began and what he described as the genocide in Gaza. He later moved to California and entered the race before the district was redrawn, when it was still considered safely conservative, hoping to send a message to Republican voters. He said he wanted to tell Republicans that he loved them but believed they had gone astray.
Elsewhere in California’s congressional primaries, Democrats did manage to secure some of the seats they expected. San Diego City Councilwoman Marni von Wilpert advanced to the general election in a San Diego-area district and will face Republican Jim Desmond. In another race, Republican Rep. Ken Calvert advanced after a contest with fellow Republican Rep. Young Kim, while the second slot remained undecided. Reps. Brad Sherman and Mike Thompson also moved on, and Rep. Doris Matsui led in Sacramento, though the final lineup remained uncertain as vote counting continued.
