With less than two months until the midterm congressional elections on November 6, Democratic challenger Andrew Janz is running a dead heat with incumbent Devin Nunes in the 22nd District race.
Survey Says…
The latest poll provided by the Janz campaign shows the challenger trailing by just 6 points.
These most recent numbers mean Janz has cut Nunes’ lead by half in two months. A July poll showed a 12-point margin in favor of Nunes.
The two surveys used to conduct the polling each have a margin of error of around 4.5%, meaning Janz could be nearly even with his opponent, or trailing significantly.
Regardless, the polling reflects markedly increased support for the Democratic candidate among all possible voters.
The survey sample selected by Strategies 360, the company hired by the Janz campaign, was weighted with additional Republican voters to reflect demographics in the 22nd District.
While the two polls paid for by the Janz campaign still show Nunes with a slight lead, a third independently-conducted poll showed the two tied at 47% of the vote each.
That poll reflected sentiment at the end of July.
Jumping Ship
The numbers against Nunes are unprecedented. Never before has the perennial candidate seen a true challenge to his tenure, and for nearly a generation there’s been very little change in the 22nd Congressional District. Now, Republican support seems to be shifting away from Nunes.
The most recent poll shows the same voters who are almost equally divided between the two candidates stick to their party affiliations when Nunes is out of the picture. Nunes, the poll shows, is costing the GOP votes.
Norma Burns of Tulare, a longtime supporter of Nunes and personal friend, is one such voter who won’t support the Republican again.
“I won’t vote for him anymore,” she said. “I know know him pretty well.”
Members of Nunes own family have also contributed to his opponent’s campaign.
Bringing the Race Home
Recently, Janz took his campaign into the heart of Nunes’ home town, holding a political rally at Tulare Union High School, Nunes’ alma mater. The rally was the fourth in a series of what the Janz campaign are calling “town hall” meetings, a reference to the lack of such face-to-face meetings with Nunes. Nunes has not held a town hall meeting since 2010.
Nunes’ lack of availability, his refusal to meet with constituents, and his attacks on the press have led to frustration on the part of Nunes’ one-time supporters.
“We’ve asked our present congressman to come and do a town hall with us, and he won’t come,” Burns said. “How are you going to have a district if you don’t talk to the people?”
Nunes Not Available
As recently as this week, Nunes appeared nationally on Fox News to discuss his plans to expose what he termed “rogue” members of the FBI and the Department of Justice. Nunes has surfaced repeatedly in national coverage of the investigation into collusion between the Trump campaign and agents of the Russian government.
Nunes has received harsh criticism for his role in the theatrics surrounding the investigation, and those back home say he is ignoring problems here in the meantime.
“Come and face us. Find out what we need,” Burns said. “He’s there, but he isn’t recognizing us.”
Janz repeated that message of neglect back to those gathered at the Tulare rally. Nunes’ absenteeism has been a constant theme of the race so far.
“Our elected member of Congress, right now, isn’t using his power and influence for good,” Janz said of Nunes close relationship with Trump. “He isn’t using it for us.”
Time for Change
Janz says Nunes has had more than enough time in Congress to see to the major issues confronting the Valley, but just hasn’t gotten the job done.
“We’ve given Devin Nunes eight terms in Congress,” Janz told the crowd at TUHS. “I’m only asking for one.”
While the crowd at the rally erupted at this, it may not be enough to get Janz into office. Derek Thomas, a one-time candidate for Tulare City Council and longtime resident of that city, wants to see Janz go on the offensive.
“He needs to be more aggressive,” Thomas said.
Janz should focus his ads on Nunes recent lavish spending at donors’ expense, and on his involvement in the Trump-Russia investigation. Nunes’ attacks on law enforcement and the press also doesn’t sit well with Valley voters.
“They don’t like it,” Thomas said.
Signs of the Times
At least one volunteer for the Janz campaign is giving his all to see Nunes replaced. Brian Bobbit, a resident of Easton in Fresno County, has been delivering yard signs throughout the 22nd District, from southern Tulare County to north of Fresno.
“I’m giving 10 or 12 hours a day,” Bobbit said. “I’ve been doing that the whole time.”
Bobbit believes Janz has what it takes to unseat Nunes and to do a better job representing him in Washington, D.C.
“I’m a good judge of character. I know who the good guys are,” said Bobbit. “I started listening to him, and after about five or 10 minutes, I quit listening and started thinking, ‘What am I going to do to get this guy elected?’”
Bobbit decided to put his effort into getting signs into supporters’ yards. The act of putting a political sign in one’s yard, he says, is a significant one.
“I believe yard signs are the biggest, most effective advertising tool a campaign can have,” he said. “A yard sign in someone’s yard is equal to a vote.”
No Unicorns
While Bobbit doesn’t agree with everything Janz says in his platform statements, the candidate matches far more closely than Nunes, Bobbit said.
“Are we 100%? No. I’m not looking for a unicorn,” he said. “I have to weigh my own checks and balances.”
Many members of the local Republican party are doing the same thing, he says. That’s how he knows Janz can beat Nunes.
“I know he can do it because I’m delivering signs to Republicans,” Bobbit said. “They come out and tell me they’re sick of Nunes and Trump and donated to the Janz campaign. I hear that at least once a day.”
I’m all the way in Ohio, and I’m contributing to the Andrew Janz campaign automatically every month. It’s one thing to support Trump’s programs, but it’s another thing entirely to be his lapdog. By shutting down investigation by the House Intelligence Committee, Nunes proved himself nothing but a party hack, lacking even a particle of integrity. Please, California voters, please vote for Andrew Janz.
And all Janz wants is the salary! Screw him and the other failure wannabes.
Will you please can it with this tired crap? A congressman makes $174k. Currently Janz makes between $116k and $124k. Do you truly believe $50k is worth all the grief and effort?
And Nunes is working for free? I don’t think so. Neither would you!
Your tired and low energy
Um, yes! Not to mention all the other perks and prestige. Absolutely Janz would be looking at these things.
That’s fifty to sixty thousand proctracted over at the very least two years and most likely more.
Assuming Mr. J does “want the salary” so what? Does Mr. N donate the salary to charity? I think not.
May I ask why my response to this comment was deleeted? Could it be because the editor is pro Janz? How sad!
EVERYONE WHO READ YOUR POST KNOWS EXACTLY WHY IT WAS DELETED. DUH! GUTTER LANGUAGE DEVIN OR DAVE OR WHOEVER YOU REALLY ARE … GUTTER LANGUAGE.
Barbara has it right. Foul language and needlessly personal attacks will get you zapped. And I’ve already spelled this out to you. Whether one is pro Janz or not is immaterial. What the fulcrum here is is that you feel entitled to label someone’s support of that legitimate candidate as “sad.” If you could drop this kind of junk on the roadside and simply state your point it would be better for everyone. And can the nonsense that Janz is in this thing only for a pay raise. Since when is that a bad thing in our culture?
“L” enough said
I sense the Valley Voice readership is beginning to challenge the publisher and editor views, and someone does not like it. Thought it was part of the territory? I also see Mr Publisher is so far removed from the working class he does not think a $50k raise is grounds for a Janz move. The median income for Tulare County is about $50k. I know I would enjoy a raise of that magnitude, not to mention all the perks. Keep up the good work Joseph, I had you pegged as a little classier than to play your cards the way you did…you just got rivered by David M.
The readership can challenge me all they like and I welcome it. So, whether your sense is correct or not, I do accept this as part of the territory. And you don’t have to be among the working class to recognize that $50k is a boatload of money. I merely suggest that, to my way of thinking, almost no amount of money–or perks–would compensate for the grief of the job. Specifically, I was picturing, say, the way a president looks on entering and leaving office. As for Dave M, please. I doubt his lucidity.
I will admit that I find the position that “we can’t vote for Janz because he would be making more salary” to be odd, but I don’t mind reading it. It is never said why it is somehow okay for Nunes to be making the very same salary.
I want to be rid of Nunes because I think he is a bad representative. He uses water as a culture war wedge, but never actually accomplishes anything on it. His Intelligence Committee investigated Russian interferrence in the 2016 election and couldn’t find any interference, despite the opposite conclusion of 17 intelligence agencies. As part of the House, he has given America a $1 trillion budget deficit in a recovered economy. He refuses to meet a general audience of constituents in his district.
It is time for me to try someone else.
Nunes has to go! He has done nothing since he got to DC. VOTE JANZ. Give him a crack at it. He could not do any worse than Nunes. Also, Janz can make many times more what Nunes is making if he opens a private practice. So there.
What kind of journalism do we have now? None! We have a one sided media that is always trashing anyone that disagrees with them. That’s the way all you liberals work. Keep it up you can’t brain wash everyone going over the same old stories over and over. As I see it most all people that run for office talk a good line but when they get elected they cave on their promises. Then once elected their only concern is getting re-elected and how much money they can put in their pocket and power. Our country has become so corrupt it’s crazy and they don’t even try to hide it! I have a very hard time believing anyone.
“As I see it most all people that run for office talk a good line but when they get elected they cave on their promises. Then once elected their only concern is getting re-elected and how much money they can put in their pocket and power. Our country has become so corrupt it’s crazy and they don’t even try to hide it! I have a very hard time believing anyone.” I can find agree with that part of your statement…. too bad you just couldn’t resist blaming liberals for all of it.
posting way too early this morning…..I meant to type “I can find agreement”… sorry!
Barbara, it has nothing to do with liberal or conservative. Most desire balanced-fair media coverage. Unfortunately, the norm for most media platforms is inflicting readers and viewership with biased journalistic views. ABC Channel 30 showed a poll last night where Nunes is leading 55% to Janz 41%, with 4% undecided. While Trumps approval rating was 57% approval to 42% disapproval. You would never get that information or impression from the articles in Valley Voice. Question polling all you want, they sure got it wrong with Trump and Hillary. But at a minimum, journalist should provide unbiased journalism and let us decide for ourselves, and not attempt to sway.
Actually I was trying to point out that she too was biased and felt compelled to show that bias first and foremost in her statement, which ironically was what she accused the Valley Voice of doing. Having said that, I did find agreement with the balance of her statement. And yes, it pertains to ALL political parties in my opinion, (just an opinion not necessarily fact).
https://www.thedailybeast.com/report-devin-nunes-family-farm-was-secretly-moved-to-iowa-from-california
Glad to see Nunes is still making national headlines. The masochism required to believe Republican party dogma is unbelievable.
Visalia Resident, you are an idiot for even posting that link. Complete farce journalism, but what would one expect from the daily beast. 600 California dairies have gone out of business in California in the last decade, that is the fact. Nunes Family was smart enough to see writing on the wall and get out before they lost their dairy too.
Do you not comprehend how your comment reads? For the last 10 of the 16 years of Nunes’ term he not only was ineffective while 600 dairies went bust but high-tailed it out of here instead. So I ask: What has Nunes accomplished for dairies? What has Nunes accomplished for farmers? What has Nunes done about water? What has Nunes accomplished at all?
So now you try to blame Nunes for the entire dairy crisis? Do you even bother reading the business pages? Janz is jealous of Nunes. That’s the sum total he brings to the table. He hasn’t spent one work day of his life outside the government cocoon.
Say no to the political hack wannabe!
I’m not blaming Nunes. I am pointing out that it’s probably not the best strategy to comment that in the last decade 600 dairies went under and the Nunes dairy relocated to Iowa.
Someone has to point out the facts – Joseph, your paper does not. I know your agenda is to spin words into anti-Nunes verbage and you are voting for Janz. Being someone who has lost a dairy, I commend his family on leaving before the inevitable. The issue has absolutely nothing to do with Nunes. California has and will continue to push agriculture to the brink. The only ones who will have the capital to survive the states assinine regulations and policies will be your beloved corporate farms. And at last check what party dominates this states goverment and is the result of these policies and regulations?
Where has it been pointed out before and why is it a secret that the family decamped to Iowa? You can bet we’ll be reporting on that. In fact, why don’t you write a letter to the editor detailing the brilliance of moving to Iowa while retaining a California dairy identity? I am sorry you lost a dairy and I understand your frustration with the Democratic super-majority here in California. This is off point–and I’m not much in favor of corporate farms. What this centers on is Nunes’ posing as a California dairyman when, in fact, his family fled the state.
And once he no longer is an elected Rep in the House he will either join them or move permanently to Washington DC and continue his current job, that of a lobbyist.
Apprently you only follow news which services your agenda, because Judge Allen Sumner threw out a case filed by the self proclaimed farmer -Paul Buxman on this exact matter. Judge Sumner found no evidence to support Nunes was not a local dairy farmer. Facts are facts, and law sided with Nunes and not based on ill informed assumptions and desires. As for writing a letter to the editor, that will do nothing for the super majority of the state destroying the agricultural industry in California. We will revisit this conversation in 20 years and see what condition this state is in, and more importantly, where is YOUR food is coming from. Idiots cannot even construct a straight line for the high speed rail bridge at Ave 8 in Madera. Make me proud to be a Californian. Arkansians are even laughing at us.
I live in So. Cal. and I am sending $ to help keep Devin Nunes in Congress in addition to my own Congressman.
Devin is one of the most heroic politicians I’ve ever seen, uncovering the abject corruption of the Obama FBI/CIA/DOJ/IRS etc etc etc.
Ladies and gentlemen, why else would the permanent class democrats be pouring so much money into removing a little old dairy farmer from Central Ca????
He threatens their rotten cabal.
Get out and help. Get out and vote.
Nunes is not a “little old dairy farmer from Central Ca.” His family farm, in fact, has been relocated to Iowa.
If one believes that you are who you say you are and not a fake troll then I am a little old lady with ocean front property with a boat ramp right here in little ol’ Tulare CA… 🙂
Well, the fact that Nunes and his family don’t even HAVE a farm in Tulare anymore, have little connection to California AT ALL, and hire 90% undocumented people in IOWA (where they moved) but still make immigrants seem like horrible people – well, I have to say I’d rather have someone here in CA, who knows our problems, who sees how climate change is hurting farmers and can DO something to work on water policy HERE than someone who left a decade ago and only cares about Washington problems. https://www.esquire.com/news-politics/a23471864/devin-nunes-family-farm-iowa-california/