Edwin Duterte: The Republican Who Can Unseat Maxine Waters
In Pennsylvania’s special election, Democrat Connor Lamb “flipped” a traditionally red district and won by regularly attacking Nancy Pelosi. In turn, many Democrat candidates in red districts are also criticizing Pelosi.
This also opens the door for Republicans to do the same thing. They can flip traditionally blue districts with seats held by unpopular Democrats.
The results of Pennsylvania’s special election should make the Democrat establishment anxious more than anything else. According to Politico, Lamb spent $10 million on advertisements that attacked other Democrats in the race who supported Pelosi. He labeled them as part of her “flock.”
In the end, he was elected as a Democrat in a district that voted for President Donald Trump by over 20 percent.
Flip it Red
Going from one coast to another, Rep. Maxine Waters, D-Calif., is facing multiple Republican opponents in the southern Los Angeles 43rd District. In a hypothetical one-on-one race, a November 2017 UnCut Report Facebook poll among registered voters shows the GOP’s Edwin Duterte within only a 6 percent margin of Waters.
“Maxine Waters has been in office for over 27 years. She sponsored more than 400 bills, but only got 3 passed. That’s a 1% success rate.” Duterte told UCR in an interview. “If you (worked for) any company and (had) a 99% failure rate, do you think you should keep your job? I don’t think so.”
The Democrat establishment is very unpopular, especially when it comes to notorious politicians like Maxine Waters. The Republicans can flip districts like that to red.
“I know my race is very challenging. There is a path though,” Duterte told UCR.
Minority Voters
A big boost for Duterte is Trump’s growing approval rating among minorities. Nearly half of the 43rd District’s population is Hispanic and another quarter is African-American.
Duterte can connect with the district’s minority voters, who according to nationwide surveys, are increasingly approving of Trump’s performance.
Duterte’s parents immigrated from the Philippines several decades ago. Through hard work, education, and a respect for the legal process, they became citizens and achieved the American Dream. After growing up near Silicon Valley, Duterte himself went on to become a tech entrepreneur.
A recent Breitbart article shows Trump’s approval rating among African Americans in 2017. SurveyMonkey rated it at 17 percent and CBS at 14 percent. This is double the 8 percent of black voters who supported Trump in 2016.
The Breitbart article also explores how many people may have denied their support for Trump, mainly due to peer pressure. Support for the president among African Americans could actually be even higher.
Furthermore, a Washington Examiner article, citing a Zogby Analytics poll, pointed out that the 45th president’s approval rating was at 45 percent among Hispanics.
“From day one … (since Trump) was inaugurated, she has called him a racist and continues to call everybody that she doesn’t agree with a racist,” Duterte said. Waters “is all about divisiveness. And she has done little to help out the community.”
Duterte stated in the interview that “the African-American community … the Hispanic/Latino community, and the Asian community, we all understand that there are challenges in our societies. And we need better breaks.”
It’s the Economy, Stupid
Duterte wants to create a business friendly environment.
“The left usually says government knows best,” he explained. But “if we run our economy like the way they run the DMV, then we’re … in trouble.”
Duterte’s policy approach will build on Trump’s overall growing popularity, which is mainly due to lower unemployment rates and friendlier business environment.
He believes refining the education system is one way to support business. His plan could allow communities in the district to benefit from free markets.
“We all know that the new blue collar is coding,” he said.
Duterte believes that the current education system needs more input from the private sector. He uses the example of Silicon Valley, where universities and tech companies worked together to modify educational curricula. The private sector was motivated to invest in students’ education because it made them more valuable employees.
Duterte wants to offer tax incentives for businesses to work with universities on curricula and invest in tech education.
“They formed incubator spaces for small business to thrive … With that competition, (the Bay Area attracted) startups like Twitter and Facebook … who now dominate.”
He also criticized his opponent’s approach to economic issues.
“Once you concentrate on the minimum wage, like my opponent Maxine Waters, you’re going to get minimum standards,” Duterte said. “If we … put together these little types of (business-friendly) environments … then we can have a better paying workforce.”
Nothing to See Here
Rep. Waters is one of the most senior Democrats in Congress. In light of their recent loses, the left-wing media and establishment are desperate to keep their top players in the game. Enter Omar Navarro, another Republican trying to unseat Waters.
When dismissed White House National Security Advisor Michael Flynn endorsed Navarro, the media quickly pointed out the Republican candidate’s notorious past. Last September the LAPD arrested the GOP hopeful for placing an illegal tracking device in his ex’s car.
In 2016 Navarro ran for the seat, before any of the above revelations came out. He lost by a larger margin than any Republican since the year 2000, the last time the GOP won the district. The media is trying to tell you that there is nothing to see here. The race is over and Waters will safely stay in office.
Having him as a perennial candidate — one who runs over and over without actually winning — is ideal for the Democrats and Waters. It’s a career politician and career candidate match made in swamp heaven.
However, the GOP has an excellent chance of unseating a clingy, annoying and very unproductive Democrat. If they pick the right candidate in Duterte, they can also flip a longtime blue area and send waves across the country.
Maybe its time for another red wave …
Haitham al Mhana is the chief operator of the UnCut Report, where he also hosts a video show and panels. He is passionate about free markets, gun rights, federal overreach in the Western States, and foreign policy. He is also bilingual, having been born and raised in Saudi Arabia and the U.K.
The views expressed in this opinion article are those of their author and are not necessarily either shared or endorsed by the owners of this website. If you are interested in contributing an Op-Ed to The Western Journal, you can learn about our submission guidelines and process here.
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