CA-53: Queer Marine veteran launches House bid for Congress.
A Marines veteran who identifies as queer on Wednesday became the latest Democrat to launch a bid for a California House seat after incumbent Rep. Susan Davis (D) announced earlier this month that she would not seek reelection.
Janessa Goldbeck, 34, launched her House campaign for Californias 53rd congressional district in a tweet Wednesday afternoon, saying: I believe that even the toughest challenges can be overcome with grit, imagination, and a willingness to work together. Thats why today I am announcing my campaign for Congress, right here in my hometown, San Diego.
Goldbeck, a California native, also filed her official statement of candidacy with the Federal Election Commission on Wednesday. She is one of several candidates competing in the Democratic primary.
Goldbeck, who spent nearly seven years in the Marines and left her position as a captain nearly two months ago, is a first-time candidate and is running as a pro-Second Amendment Democrat, BuzzFeed News reports. She also worked as a human rights activist pushing for Congress to end the genocide in Darfur following her graduation from Northwestern University.
She plans to focus on topics including affordable housing, the wage gap and infrastructure, and though she supports the Second Amendment, she will reportedly push for gun background checks and keeping some military-grade weapons out of the hands of average U.S. citizens.
https://thehill.com/homenews/campaign/462075-queer-marine-veteran-launches-house-bid-after-incumbent-rep-susan-davis