Latest news with #KatherineAleman
Yahoo
22-07-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Democrat Katherine Aleman challenges California's longest-serving GOP congressman in 41st district race
RIVERSIDE COUNTY, Calif. - A Riverside County teacher is running for congress, looking to unseat Rep. Ken Calvert, the longest serving Republican in California's congressional delegation. Katherine Aleman officially launched her campaign for California's 41st Congressional District. What they're saying Having been raised in the Inland Empire, Aleman said she knows first-hand the struggles families in the community are going through. "Our residents deserve a representative who's walked in their shoes, knows how to balance a household budget, knows the challenges of starting a small business. And that's exactly why I'm running for Congress. We need someone who is going to serve the community instead of serving themselves," Aleman said on FOX 11. "We keep seeing an increase in costs: the price of eggs, the prices of groceries, of rent, gas. You know now we're going to see cuts in healthcare. We're going see cuts of nutrition for 30,000 families," she added. Aleman, who raises chickens and sells eggs, said the price of goods has gone up because of corporate price-gouging, forcing working families to pay the cost. "During the pandemic, we had corporations and businesses who drove up the cost of goods, not because they had to, but simply because they could." Running as a democrat, Aleman said her experience sets her apart in the race. "You know I'm the Democrat that should go up against Ken Calvert because I'm the only Democrat in this field that has ran tough races and won. Norco is the second reddest city in the district, it's plus 30 Republicans. You know, I ran a hard campaign. I was elected and I served with Republicans. We balanced the budget, bought land for affordable housing for veterans. We fixed a ton of streets. We invested in public safety. I listened to my residents. I showed up for them and I have a track record of getting things done," she stated. Who Is Katherine Aleman? Aleman is a public school teacher and mother of four. She served on the Norco City Council and in the Peace Corps. She is the daughter of a Marine helicopter pilot and was raised on the El Toro Marine Corps base. Aleman is also a small business owner, raising chickens and running an egg stand. Calvert is the longest-serving Republican in California's congressional delegation, having been first elected in 1992. He defeated Democratic challenger Will Rollins in 2024 and again in 2022. What's next The general election is scheduled for November 3, 2026. All 435 House seats will be up for election. The Source Information for this story came from an interview with Katherine Aleman. Solve the daily Crossword
Yahoo
21-07-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Teacher enters crowded race to topple Rep. Ken Calvert, with Barbara Boxer's blessing
This story was originally published by CalMatters. Sign up for their newsletters. Katherine Aleman, an Inland Empire public-school teacher and part-time chicken farmer, is the latest Democrat to join a crowded field of challengers hoping to unseat 41st Congressional District Rep. Ken Calvert, the longest-serving Republican in California's congressional delegation. The race against Calvert, who for more than 30 years has represented Riverside County, will be one of the most closely watched in the nation as Democrats push to retake control of the U.S. House in 2026. The congressman, a Trump loyalist, has been a perpetual white whale for Democrats despite his controversial votes to overturn the results of the 2020 election. This time, Democratic insiders are bullish that Aleman – a mother of four sons who teaches middle school in Corona – will be the one to break their cycle of losses. Aleman is leaning into her background as a working parent and lifelong Inland Empire resident as she works to make affordability her primary message. Along with cost of living, she said veterans' issues and education are important to her as the daughter of a Marine helicopter pilot and an elementary school principal. 'Folks deserve someone who has walked in their shoes, who's had to balance a household budget, who's struggled,' Aleman told CalMatters. 'We have a congressman who really has only been serving himself and his friends.' Calvert will not be an easy target. This past quarter he outraised all of his Democratic challengers combined, pulling in more than $1.3 million in contributions and bringing his stockpile of cash on hand to an eye-popping $2.5 million. 'This massive fundraising haul shows just how energized voters are to keep him in Congress,' Christian Martinez, spokesman for the National Republican Congressional Committee wrote in a statement when the fundraising numbers were released earlier this month. The W-shaped district spans from working-class towns like Corona and El Cerrito in the west to wealthier Coachella Valley cities like Palm Springs in the east. Aleman's fluency in Spanish, which she refined during two years as a Peace Corps volunteer in Paraguay, is an asset in a district where nearly 40% of the population is Hispanic. Aleman's supporters, who include former U.S. Sen. Barbara Boxer, say her deep roots on the western side of the district – where more than 70% of the population is – differentiate her from her competitors. That background also sets her apart from Will Rollins, a former federal prosecutor who lost to Calvert twice and whose campaign Boxer vigorously supported. Former U.S. Sen Barbara Boxer is a fan 'She's an undiscovered star,' said Boxer, who sought to support a female candidate from the western side of the district. 'I've been around a long time, and I never say that.' Boxer, a 24-year veteran of Capitol Hill who, alongside former Sen. Dianne Feinstein, won election to the Senate in 1992's 'Year of the Woman,' pointed to Aleman's successful 2020 campaign for Norco City Council as proof that she can win Republican votes. Aleman, the council's lone Democrat, won despite a nearly 30% Republican voter registration advantage, but lost her reelection bid last November. When the two women met for lunch a month ago, Boxer said she was immediately impressed with Aleman's straightforward assessment of her district's top issue – affordability. 'She said, 'Senator, people can't afford to live here anymore, and I grew up here.' And I just saw the authenticity of her,' Boxer said of Aleman. 'She fits so well into what we're looking for,' Boxer added, 'someone who has lived the lives of her constituents.' This time, Calvert has attracted at least eight other Democratic challengers. Among them are Brandon Riker, an entrepreneur who ran for lieutenant governor of Vermont in 2016, and Anuj Dixit, a voting rights attorney who was born and raised in Riverside County. Tim Myers, the bassist for the band OneRepublic, has already bowed out and announced he will instead run for lieutenant governor. 'Katherine is exactly the type of candidate the Democratic Party needs,' said Orrin Evans, a media strategist working on Aleman's campaign launch. His has helped Democratic candidates such as Rep. Derek Tran defeat incumbent Republicans in tough races. Evans said the takeaway from the 2024 election should be the importance of candidate quality, and that a 'homegrown leader' like Aleman would gain the most traction. 'Katherine's not from Hollywood or Vermont,' he said. 'She's from the Inland Empire.' In addition to teaching, Aleman raises chickens and sells eggs at a family farm stand. What began as a side project during the pandemic to provide eggs for her family has grown into a small business known as 'Fluffy Butt Ranch.' The additional income helps cushion the family budget. She also runs a chicken club at her school, which provides extra food security for students in the form of farm-fresh eggs. This article originally appeared on Palm Springs Desert Sun: Who is challenging Ken Calvert for Congress Solve the daily Crossword
