First Two Candidates Join 24th District Congressional Race
It didn’t take long for the first Democrat and Republican candidates to announce their intention to fill Rep. Lois Capps’ seat when she retires from Congress next year.
Santa Barbara Mayor Helene Schneider and Montecito businessman Justin Fareed would like to represent the district that now includes Santa Barbara and San Luis Obispo counties as well as a small portion of Ventura County.
They plan to make official announcements during campaign kick-offs in the near future.
Helene Schneider is a Democrat serving her second term as mayor.
“The campaign is on. This is going to be a very competitive race. It’s a beautiful congressional district, it’s an important district and it was important to me to be able to tell people not to just speculate (but) to say yes I’m in, I’m running,” Schneider said.
Fareed is a Republican who worked as a legislative aide on Capitol Hill. He said he has already been raising money.
“It was actually funny timing. We opened a committee six weeks ago. We were planning on announcing today and timing worked out really well,” Fareed said.
This will be Fareed’s second run for the seat. The first time Chris Mitchum beat him in an open primary in 2014. The former UCLA running back is the vice president of his family business Pro Band Sports Industries in Montecito.
He will turn 27 in May and sees youth as a plus. “If you look at Congress today, there isn’t one member under 30 representing the next generation in Congress,” Fareed said.
Schneider worked for former California Assemblyman Jack O’Connell and Planned Parenthood before becoming a city council member and mayor. She said Capps leaves big shoes to fill, but she feels qualified and ready.
“There is a lot of gridlock in Washington D.C., and I think it’s important to have a perspective as mayor as someone in an executive role to bring perspective to getting things done in D.C. ,” Schneider said.
Both candidates expect the field to grow.
It’s been 18 years since the seat has been up for grabs.
