Election 2022: What you need to know about Rep. Salud Carbajal v. Dr. Brad Allen race for Congress

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Editor's note: This story is one in a series on the Nov. 8 general election. For more coverage, visit vcstar.com/elections.

A three-term incumbent who prides himself on bipartisanship faces a celebrity-linked heart surgeon pushing for change in a redrawn congressional district that now includes more of Ventura County.

The 24th Congressional District was changed in redistricting to include less of San Luis Obispo County and gain 80,000 voters in Ventura and Ojai. Rep. Salud Carbajal, a Democrat who grew up in Oxnard, is vying to keep the seat against the challenge of Republican Dr. Brad Allen, married to actress Jaclyn Smith of "Charlie's Angels" television series fame.

Voters will decide who will represent them at the polls Nov. 8.

The candidates disagree on the battle to curb inflation, Roe v. Wade, the Jan. 6 hearings and nearly everything else. They concur the biggest divide is their background with Allen pointing at Carbajal's nearly six years in Congress; 12 years serving on the Santa Barbara County Board of Supervisors; and another 11 years working for the late Naomi Schwartz, the former county supervisor.

Dr. Brad Allen (left) and Salud Carbajal are running for the 24th Congressional District seat in the upcoming election.
Dr. Brad Allen (left) and Salud Carbajal are running for the 24th Congressional District seat in the upcoming election.

"I believe we keep electing the same type of person — the career politician," Allen said.  "My concern is they don't solve problems. They only look at things one way."

Carbajal said the "career politician" dig is an oft-used strategy by challengers without experience. If they succeed in winning the election, they almost invariably run for reelection, he said.

"They try to become what they malign others with," he said, comparing his resume with Allen who has not held elected office. "I think the difference is that I have a record of effective accomplishments, a record of service, a record of working across the aisle."

Carbajal is the front runner in a district where 46% of the registered voters as of early September were Democrats compared to 26% Republicans. Carbajal received 60% of the votes in the primary with Allen gaining 31% and advancing to the November election over two other challengers.

The biggest gap comes in fundraising. Carbajal had $2.5 million on hand as of the end of September. Allen had $18,159 and acknowledged his underdog status.

"I went into this with my eyes wide open. I knew my chances in this race were not good," he said, asserting his campaign relies on convincing voters the path to change comes from his nearly 40 years practicing medicine where he identifies problems and solves them.

The memory of Dr. No

He's a pediatric heart surgeon and also helps run a business line of skin care products named for his wife. They own homes in Los Angeles and Summerland.

Allen, 67, ran for Congress in the 24th District in 2014, pushing for changes to the Affordable Care Act. He finished fifth in a field of nine.

He said inflation, illegal immigration that he linked to fentanyl smuggled across the border, and school policies regarding transgender identity compelled him to run again.

"I’m tired of sitting on the sidelines and complaining," he said. "I need to either do something or stop complaining."

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His political role models include Abraham Lincoln, Ronald Reagan and the late Sen. Tom Coburn, a physician and an Oklahoma conservative nicknamed "Dr. No" for his opposition to federal spending. Allen said out-of-control inflation can be controlled by reducing reducing government expenditures and cutting government regulation on businesses.

"The debt's like a national credit card," he said, contending lawmakers try to solve problems by throwing money at them.

Carbajal, 57, of Goleta, said the economic crisis was exacerbated by the COVID-19 lockdown and the impact of Russia's war with Ukraine on oil prices. He said inroads are being made through legislation that focus on removing barriers from the supply chain, lowering prescription drug costs and investing in businesses and industries.

"There will be a lag time with all of these laws, but they are already starting to have an impact," he said.

Carbajal comes from poverty. Born in the Guanajuato region of Mexico, he immigrated with his family to Arizona at age 5. His father worked in mines, then as a farmworker after they moved into public housing in Oxnard. Carbajal spent summers working in the fields and graduated from Oxnard High School in 1983.

A former Marine reserve, he won a seat on the Santa Barbara County Board of Supervisors in 2004. He has served in Congress since 2016, advocating for environmental protections and serving on several bipartisan caucuses.

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Carbajal labels himself as "unequivocably pro-choice"  and opposed the reversal of Roe v. Wade. He voted for the Women's Health Protection Act that would guarantee the right of abortion.

"The conservative Supreme Court has taken rights away from citizens," he said, suggesting the ruling could be a precedent. "You never know what the future is going to hold. We should be concerned about the rights of everyone in the United States."

Allen said he supported the Supreme Court reversal of Roe that puts abortion rights in the hands of the state. He said end-of-term abortions should not be allowed but procedures that save the life of the mother should be. He won't label himself as "pro-choice" or "pro-life."

"It's all about scaring people and saying you're this or that in order to get more money or votes," he said.

Related: 2 vie for Ojai mayor's seat share thoughts on water, housing and more

Arguing over the COVID-19 lockdown

COVID-19 forms another divide. Allen said the government mismanaged the pandemic by keeping lockdown restrictions when it was clear vaccines had greatly reduced the risk of severe illness.

Carbajal defended the lockdowns and said the pandemic was prolonged by the lack of action taken by then-President Donald Trump when COVID-19 emerged.

"If we had started early, we would have gone through this pandemic a lot smoother, a lot faster," he said.

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Carbajal applauded the hearings on the Jan. 6, 2021, attack of the Capitol, saying they show Trump and allies were trying to undermine the government. He declined to say whether criminal charges should be filed.

"I think the Department of Justice will have to weigh all the evidence and decide," he said. "No one is above the law."

Allen condemned the attack on the Capitol but said the hearings have been one-sided. Seven of the nine members are Democrats.

"It's a political committee," he said. "If we wanted to have a learning experience, it would be bipartisan."

Carbajal said the country is growing more polarized, partly because many Republicans continue to make baseless claims the 2020 election was stolen. He said the midterm elections nationwide could help determine whether the divide grows.

More: Midterm election drives bevy of lawsuits over ballots, voting in battleground states

Allen said the focus on what happened in the 2020 presidential vote is misdirected because the election is over and the outcome can't be changed. He said more effort should be placed on reforms that assure voters future elections will be secure.

"We're not doing things to make Americans feel that when the election was over, they trust the result," he said.

Election 2022 information

Ballots: The Ventura County Elections Division sent out vote-by-mail ballots starting Oct. 10.

Deadline to register: Online by Oct. 24 and in-person through Nov. 8

When to vote: Mail or drop off ballots by Nov. 8 or vote in person Oct. 29 to Nov. 8 at county voting centers. You can also vote early in-person at the Ventura County Elections Division office on the bottom floor of the county's Hall of Administration, 800 S. Victoria Ave., Ventura.

Check registration status: voterstatus.sos.ca.gov

For more: venturavote.org.

For coverage of Ventura County races and issues: vcstar.com/elections

Tom Kisken covers health care and other news for the Ventura County Star. Reach him at tom.kisken@vcstar.com or 805-437-0255.

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This article originally appeared on Ventura County Star: Election 2022: Salud Carbajal, Brad Allen vie in race for Congress