Race for 20th Congressional District seat heats up
Two candidates are vying for the 20th Congressional District seat on the Central Coast. It is a seat Congressman Sam Farr is retiring from at the end of his current term in 2017.
Monterey County Deputy District Attorney Jimmy Panetta and Pacific Grove Councilwoman Casey Lucius are going head to head, for now.
Jimmy Panetta formally announced he was running for the seat at the Custom House Plaza in Monterey Tuesday morning.
As he tries to leave the courtroom for Capitol Hill, Panetta says he wants voters to give him a chance.
“To fight for protecting and defending America from our enemies, for comprehensive immigration reform, for a strong economy that can provide jobs and the opportunity to give all working families a better life,” said Panetta.
Pacific Grove council member Casey Lucius announced her bid for Congress over the summer.
“I really feel like we need people with foreign policy and national security expertise and that’s a unique area that I can offer and make a contribution,” said Lucius.
While Lucius does have experience in a political office, Jimmy Panetta has a famous last name.
“Having the last name of Panetta is clearly something I’m proud of. My father has made it easy to be a politician’s son. Easier, I should say, to be a politician’s son. But with that, you take the negatives as well. People assume they know you. And my theory is, you may know the name, but get to know me.”
Lucius also wants voters to get to know her.
“I’m thinking about our children and our grandchildren and making sure that we have this country going in the right direction for them. Ultimately, I think people want somebody to go to Washington who is just going to work hard and do their homework and be thorough and be a person of integrity and I want voters to know that’s exactly what I intend to do,” said Lucius.
Political experts say there could be several other democratic contenders in the race including State Senator Bill Monning, Assembly member Luis Alejo and Carmel Mayor Jason Burnett.
