'General Hospital' actor running for Congress says 'I forget' name of Republican rival

Ventura

Blue, red or purple.

The colors that surface on June 5 could help determine the results of the primary election for the 26th Congressional District, which encompasses most of Ventura County, even more importantly building momentum for the Nov. 8 general election. The top two finishers will advance regardless of party.

Analysts said the district is solidly blue with about 43 percent of the voters registered as Democrats and 30 percent as Republican as of early April. They also suggest Democratic voter complacency could affect outcomes, especially if Republicans turn out in droves.

The race features Antonio Sabato Jr., an immigrant actor who campaigned for President Donald Trump and is betting the district will swing Republican. A second Republican, retired Air Force Maj. Jeffrey Burum, is even more blunt.

One of his slogans is “Make California Red Again.”

Colors and parties factor into the other side of the aisle, too. Democratic candidate John Nelson, an Oxnard lawyer, accuses incumbent Rep. Julia Brownley, D-Westlake Village, of siding far too often with Trump.

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As for Brownley, the number she pulled out in a phone interview involved the results of the last presidential race where Trump won the White House but lost the 26th District by 58 percent to 36 percent.

“I think the voters were very clear in the presidential election about how they felt,” she said, then citing the two Republican challengers. “Some of my opponents are more or less Trump clones.”

The rhetoric hints the gloves are off, a perception driven home when Sabato was asked about his Republican opponent, Burum.

“I don’t even know his name,” he said. “I forget it.”

Sabato is a onetime Calvin Klein underwear model and a star of “General Hospital” whose entertainment career is augmented by business interests ranging from restaurants to race cars. He contends he upset Hollywood’s power brokers by speaking in favor of Trump at the Republican National Convention two years ago.

Now he’s running for Congress on a law-and-order, beef-up-border-security platform with endorsements including the Ventura County Republican Party and the Ventura County Deputy Sheriffs’ Association union.

Citing his roots as an immigrant from Italy who earned his citizenship, Sabato objected to a sanctuary movement that protects people who come to the country illegally. He called it unconstitutional.

He didn’t pull any punches regarding Brownley, calling her one of the least effective members of Congress. He focused on veterans services; the incumbent serves on the House Committee on Veterans’ Affairs.

Sabato referenced 2- and 3-year-old reports of waits at the Oxnard Veterans Affairs clinic that ranked among the nation’s worst. He cited alleged document shredding at a Los Angeles office that serves the region that includes Ventura County.

MORE: Ventura County congressional races likely to bring drama

Brownley is to blame for the poor performance, he said.

“Obviously, she did that,” said Sabato. “We need to make sure my VA in Oxnard is one of the best and not one of the worst.”

Burum served 20 years in the Air Force. He was stationed in Saudi Arabia during Operation Desert Storm and acquired an illness called Gulf War syndrome that is linked to exposure to chemical weapons. He said his frustrations with the VA pushed him not to use the health system.

He advocates privatizing the system, suggesting the change could bring dramatic cuts in cost and wait time.

“The VA and the (Department of Defense) are too political,” he said, suggesting that the entities have denied or deferred care for veterans affected by Agent Orange in Vietnam or by chemical weapons during Desert Storm. “I’m here to fix that.”

Burum pledged to focus on financial responsibility, law enforcement and what he called a traditional view of the Constitution.

“This county used to be Republican,” he said, vowing to reignite conservatism. “I believe excessive liberalism has caused social, economic and political chaos.”

Nelson, an Oxnard lawyer, is a Bernie Sanders supporter who backs the sanctuary movement and free college education.

He said a Medicare for All health care system would push more people to seek treatment, starting ripples that would bolster the economy and even make a dent in the nation’s opioid crisis.

“If people have health care — if it’s free — they will get help,” he said.

Nelson cited analysis from a FiveThirtyEight project that suggests Brownley makes votes consistent with Trump’s views 28 percent of the time. Of the 193 Democrats in the House, 33 voted with the president more often.

“I believe it says that Brownley thinks this is a red district, and it’s not,” he said, alleging the incumbent worries about narrow election victories in 2012 and 2014. “I don’t think she’s a candidate that we can get excited about.”

Two years ago, Brownley won her third term in Congress by defeating Republican Rafael A. Dagnesses decisively, gaining 60 percent of the vote.

She lives on the Ventura County side of Westlake Village. Her political career started with three school board terms in the Santa Monica-Malibu Unified School District. She later served six years in the California Assembly.

Veterans have been a priority since her first day in Congress, she said, citing work to expand services at the Oxnard VA clinic and increase staffing in an effort to improve wait times and care. She won congressional approval for a plan to open a new clinic that will be operated by the VA and will be seven times larger than the clinic used when she was first elected.

“I think my record on veterans speaks for itself,” she said, later citing her reactions to the allegations of document shredding, including pushing for an investigation and calling for a hearing before the House Veterans’ Affairs Committee. “I also met first-hand with employees and management and worked with local VA leadership to ensure better controls, procedures and training were put in place.”

She said she advocated for a presidential disaster declaration after the Thomas Fire and worked with federal, state and local entities to get resources during the fire.

Brownley said she hasn’t seen the research that compares her voting record with Trump’s stance on different issues. She said the 28 percent mark seems consistent with the 38 percent of the vote gained by Trump in the district in the 2016 election.

“I think that’s indicative of voting with the district,” she said.

The 26th District is one of four congressional districts involving pieces of Ventura County with races in the primary. In the 24th District that includes a western strip of the county, Rep. Salud Carbajal, D-Santa Barbara, faces Republicans Justin Fareed and Michael Erin Woody.

In the 25th District that includes Simi Valley, candidates on the primary ballot include Republican incumbent Steve Knight and four Democratic challengers: Bryan Caforio, Katie Hill, Marry Pallant and Jess Phoenix.

The 30th District includes the Bell Canyon area outside of Simi Valley. The ballot includes incumbent Brad Sherman, D-Sherman Oaks, Democrats Raji Rab and Jon Pelzer, and Republican Mark Reed.

In all races, the top two finishers advance.

Julia Brownley

Age: 65
City of residence: Westlake Village
Occupation: Member of Congress
Education: Fairfax Hall (high school), bachelor’s degree, George Washington University; master’s, American University
Years in office: U.S. House of Representatives, 2013-present; California Assembly, 2006-2012; Santa Monica-Malibu Unified School District Board, 1994-2006
Family: Divorced, two children
Military service: None
Criminal convictions, bankruptcies or pleas: None
Website/social media: JuliaBrownley.com, Twitter.com/JuliaBrownley, Facebook.com/JuliaBrownley

Jeffrey Burum

Age: 58
City of residence: Oxnard
Occupations: Business owner, retired Air Force major, chief of financial management, investment adviser representative, certified public accountant
Education: Bakersfield West High School; bachelor’s degree, U.S. Air Force Academy, two master’s degrees, University of North Dakota
Years in office: None
Family: Three children
Military service: 20 years in the Air Force, retiring as a major
Criminal convictions, bankruptcies or pleas: None
Website/social media: www.JeffreyBurumForCongress.com, www.facebook.com/jeffreyburumforcongress/, https://twitter.com/JeffreyBurum

John Nelson

Age: 49
City of residence: Oxnard
Occupation: Attorney
Education: L.V. Berkner High School, Texas Lutheran University/University Of Texas - San Antonio, Thomas Jefferson School Of Law
Years in office: None
Family: Married with three children.
Military service: None
Criminal convictions, bankruptcies or pleas: None
Website/social media: john4congress.com, https://twitter.com/John_4Congress, www.facebook.com/JohnNelson4Congress/, www.instagram.com/johnnelson4congress/

Antonio Sabato Jr.

Age: 46
City of residence: Thousand Oaks
Occupation: Actor and businessman
Education: Beverly Hills High School
Years in office: None
Family: Divorced, three children
Military service: None
Criminal convictions, bankruptcies or pleas: None
Website/social media: www.voteantonio.com, https://twitter.com/voteantonio2018, www.facebook.com/VoteAntonio/