Congressman Steve Knight’s (R-Palmdale) seat is being watched closely by the House Majority Political Action Committee.
The Democrat-based PAC, formed in April 2011, is expanding its Congressional Accountability Campaign to put the spotlight on seven California Republican members of Congress, including Knight, the PAC announced Monday said.
“Congressman Knight will have to answer to his constituents for blindly following Trump’s extreme agenda and voting for the disastrous Republican healthcare plan,” Jeb Fain, Senior Communications Advisor for House Majority PAC told The Signal.
“His constituents deserve a Representative who will stand up for their interests instead of doing the bidding of special interests,” Fain said.
According to House Majority PAC Executive Director Charlie Kelly, the PAC’s ultimate goal is to replace as many Republicans in Congress as possible.
“California will be at the center of our effort to gain seats and win the majority for Democrats in 2018,” Kelly said in a statement.
Much of the campaign focuses on the representatives’ votes in favor of the American Health Care Act, which would repeal and replace the Affordable Care Act.
“House Majority PAC is committed to holding these Republicans accountable for their bill that strips health coverage for 23 million Americans, imposes an ‘Age Tax’ on people over 50, cuts Medicaid and guts protections for pre-existing conditions,” Kelly said.
Economic issues will be a key component of the committee’s efforts, the announcement said.
House Majority PAC, formed when Democrats were the majority, plans to engage with constituents in districts through media campaigns, rallies and events.
The PAC will also be raising money for California Congressional races in 2018.
Other California representatives being targeted by the Democrats include Congresswoman Mimi Walters (R-Irvine) and Congressmen Jeff Denham (R-Turlock), David Valadao (R-Hanford), Ed Royce (R-Fullerton), Dana Rohrabacher (R-Huntington Beach) and Darrell Issa (R-Vista).
“California’s Congressional Republicans were already increasingly out-of-step with their districts for years, but they dove off the deep end when they toed the line for Trump and voted for the disastrous GOP healthcare bill,” Kelly said.
All seven of the Californian representatives hold their seats in districts that were won by Hillary Clinton in the 2016 presidential election.
The committee announced the campaign in June, targeting 12 other Congress members, including one in Arizona, one in Maine, two in Florida, five in Michigan and three in Wisconsin, including Speaker Paul Ryan.
Residents in these districts can sign up for text message alerts about upcoming events, rallies and town hall meetings on the House Majority PAC’s website.
