So eight months ago I sat down in Orange with J.J. Galvez, the perky-yet-longshot Democratic candidate in the State Assembly District 71 race. His odds of beating (or even challenging) incumbent Kate Sanchez seemed long, but folks kept raving about his oomph, his spunk, his sparkle.
They were correct.
J.J. wound up falling short, but the race proved shockingly close, and the 34-year-old gunslinger has to be considered an up-and-comer in local political. J.J. posted this on his Substack, and I thought it worth sharing (with his approval).
I bring you J.J. Galvez …
•••
Team, we did not win this race.
However, we achieved a historic overperformance. We’re at 46.4 percent of the vote and on track for nearly 100,000 votes. In 2024, the challenger in this district got 38.5 percent with about 92,000 votes. We cut a 23-point gap to under eight, and we’re on pace to earn more total votes in a midterm.
We did that despite only raising about $120,000 (six times less than my opponent). Of the roughly $720,000 my opponent raised, only about $12,000 came from individuals. I’m proud that we accepted no corporate donations.
And we’re not done. We’re still helping with ballot curing so every valid vote counts for other local candidates. This isn’t about me. It’s about a movement that believes we can build a better future for all.
Unity was a major theme of this campaign. At a time of so much division, we need to remember that there are no “red” or “blue” areas, only American areas. Let’s turn the page and start working together again. Let’s have debates about solving problems, not about insulting each other.
This was my first time running for office. As an immigrant, I felt it was important to stand up for a community being attacked and dehumanized. But immigration wasn’t the center of my campaign. The American Dream was. The Dream means you can build a life through your work, regardless of the circumstances you were born into. That Dream has been breaking for decades. Work alone is no longer enough to keep up with costs, so people have stopped believing in a better future. That loss of faith, and the daily struggle just to survive, amplified by stressful and misleading messages on social media and TV from all sides, is at the core of our division and the rise of extremism.
To the incumbent, I mean this sincerely – I wish you success, and I’m ready to help. Representing this district means representing all of it, including the many who didn’t vote for you. Skipping debates and missing votes leaves a large share of your constituents unheard, which is the same thing you criticize Democrats for doing in Sacramento. Whether it’s the imbalance between costs and opportunities, corruption, the rise of AI, a changing climate, there is an infinity of problems to address. Don’t sit on the sidelines. Don’t fall into the temptation of waging battles that only build a political brand for yourself, without solving any real problems... Build a legacy by getting to work. Work for all of us.
To all my supporters – thank you. YOU. ARE. AMAZING.
I’m not going anywhere. Whether through running for office or driving change as an active citizen, I want to be useful to my community and to building a better world.
Thank you,
JJ
Thanks for sharing J.J.’s message! Inspiring!
JJ has done an amazing job! 46.4% is quite an accomplishment. He worked hard for it. I hope he runs again in two years.
(BTW, I was the 2024 challenger)