Eric Shaw, 57, a Democrat and digital marketing executive, is running for Congress representing inland North County cities, the San Diego County backcountry and parts of Riverside County in California’s 48th Congressional District.
Shaw, who is originally from Omaha, Nebraska, lives in Temecula.
The San Diego Union-Tribune emailed a series of questions to Shaw and other candidates to help inform voters about their positions, priorities and plans if elected.
Shaw said he used the AI tool Grammarly in responding to the Union-Tribune’s questions.
1) Why are you running, and what makes you the best candidate? (150 words max)
I was tired of talking about the problems we all face and nothing changing. I woke up one morning and let my wife know I was running for Congress to make real change — put action behind the 48th’s words.
I have lived in Temecula with my wife and four kids for over 12 years. We love the community and the life we have built here, which is another reason I’m running. I want to see the 48th District live up to its maximum potential and beyond.
This is not Republican versus Democrat. It is time to drop the rhetoric and bridge the gap between us with principled leadership.
The 48th will be a beacon of how conservatives, independents and liberals can agree and work together on the issues that matter most to our district.
My actions will mirror your voices. Let me be the representative who champions your concerns in Congress.
2) What are the top 3 issues facing this district? (150 words max)
The affordability crisis. High prices are touching every family and every business in the district. I will fight to lower costs of groceries, gas, housing and the supplies small businesses depend on.
Our water rights. The Colorado River operating agreements expire this year. I will be in Washington fighting for our district’s water allocation before the eastern half of our district dries up.
Public safety. Public safety is not a partisan issue. It is a basic right that every family in the 48th deserves, regardless of their ZIP code, their background or what they look like.
Real safety means more than enforcement. It’s making sure people in the 48th have what they need before a crisis happens. Mental health resources, addiction support, housing stability and economic opportunity are not soft issues — they are the foundation that keeps families safe and neighborhoods whole.
3) What are the first 3 things you would do in your first/next term in Congress? (150 words max)
First thing, pictures with my family. It will be a historic moment, and I would be the first African-American to hold this seat.
Then I get to work. I start building relationships with House members who believe in common sense over party loyalty — Democrat, Republican, it does not matter to me. We can start with the lowest-hanging fruit that both parties agree on.
Second, I sit down with our party’s leadership. I want to understand what is on their plate. And I want to make sure they understand the issues affecting the 48th. Committees, staffing, resources will all be a part of Day One conversations.
Third, I reach out to Sen. Thune’s office. You cannot get things done in Washington alone. Building bridges early is my goal to help our county and the 48th District.
4) If your party wins control of Congress, what should be its first priority? If your party loses control of Congress, what should be its first priority? (100 words max)
If Democrats win:
Pass the John Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act.
Pass the John Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act.
Pass the John Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act.
It has been sitting since 2021. Unacceptable!
A perfect example where building bridges may have helped the John Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act.
If Republicans win:
Stop fighting each other and unite around three or four issues that have broad public support regardless of party, such as affordability, prescription drug costs and veterans benefits.
I will use every committee minority seat, every floor speech, every one-minute address to make the contrast is seen heading into the next election.
5) President Trump has made cracking down on immigration a cornerstone of his administration, ordering widespread arrests and detentions of immigrants nationwide and directing military resources to a new military zone along the U.S.-Mexico border. What impact have these had on this district? What are your goals on immigrants, immigration and the border, and how would you pursue them if elected? What is your message to constituents who are immigrants? (150 words max)
Immigration is a strength of this country, not a weakness.
A secure border and a smarter legal immigration system are not mutually exclusive. We can have both.
I do not believe a wall is an effective long-term border solution. I do believe our border enforcement agencies need to be better staffed, better trained and better supplied.
I support reforming our asylum system with clear, enforceable standards. And I will work to create an American points-based immigration system similar to what Canada and Australia use successfully, rewarding skills, family ties and contribution.
To every immigrant in CA-48 — you have nothing to fear from me.
6) It’s been nearly two months since the United States began a war with Iran. Do you believe Americans are better or worse off for it? What should Congress’s role be? Would you vote to let the president continue the war beyond the 60 days after which congressional authorization is required? (150 words max)
Americans are worse off.
The affordability crisis is real. AAA reports gas prices are up to the highest levels since 2022. Families in CA-48, including my own, are feeling the pinch every time we fill up, get groceries, pay bills or sign our children up for youth sports. I believe the war and tariffs are to blame.
The War Powers Resolution is clear: Congress must authorize or end military action within 60 days. My vote will be determined by information from house committee members involved, not what the news cycle says.
The Constitution requires me to vote NO on whether to extend the war without a real plan, a real debate and a real vote. Families serving deserve that before their deployment.
Republican Sen. Susan Collins voted with Democrats saying further military action must have a clear mission, achievable goals and a defined exit strategy.
Thank you for your service.
7) Recent jumps in the cost of fuel, food and other goods — combined with federal cuts to safety-net programs, new limits on certain federal loans and more — are squeezing residents already struggling with San Diego County’s high costs of living. What relief would you seek to offer, and how? (150 words max)
Once governing, I will govern the entire CA-48. I built a business here. I live here. I feel this every single day.
Small businesses across CA-48 are getting crushed. Temecula. Escondido. Palm Springs. Hemet. Tariffs driving up costs. Federal loans getting cut off. Safety-net cuts pulling money out of the pockets of the customers they depend on.
One in four active-duty military families in this country are food-insecure. These are people serving this country living within miles of us who cannot afford to feed their families. That ends with my representation.
Here is what I will do: Fight back against tariffs punishing small operators while big corporations write it off. Restore federal small business loan access. Hold refiners accountable for price gouging hitting every family in this district.
This district was built on small businesses, working families and the men and women who serve.
8) Like much of California, this district has been affected by the effects of climate change. How should Congress mitigate those impacts, and what would you do to pursue such efforts? (100 words max)
First, I would have to convince some of my colleagues in Congress that climate change is actually real. That alone will be a tall order.
But here is where I stand: The science is settled. The wildfires, the droughts, the water shortages hitting CA-48 right now are not coincidences. They are consequences.
I will support clean-energy investment that creates local jobs right here in this district. Solar. Wind. Battery storage. I will fight to protect Environmental Protection Agency standards being rolled back right now. And I will push to restore WaterSMART funding, because water security and climate resilience are the same fight in CA-48.
We do not have time for denial.
9) Polling underscores that one chief concern of California voters in the 2026 midterm elections is the issue of threats to democracy. What do you believe are the greatest threats to American democracy? How would you, and how should Congress, protect against these? (100 words max)
Misinformation is the greatest threat to democracy we have ever faced. Not a foreign army. Not a political party. Lies at scale, weaponized overnight by technology. When people cannot agree on basic facts, democracy breaks down.
Here is what I will fight for. Strengthen election security — especially after the Supreme Court just gutted the Voting Rights Act five days ago. Demand social media accountability without silencing free speech. Fund civic education so the next generation knows how democracy works.
An informed voter is a protected democracy. That is where this fight starts.
10) Do you support a ban or restriction on congressional lawmakers and their families buying or selling individual stocks? Why or why not? And what would you propose to ensure lawmakers aren’t using their positions to engage in insider trading? (100 words max)
Yes. 100%. Full ban. No exceptions.
If you are making laws that move markets, you should not be playing the market. That is corruption by another name.
Ban stock trading for lawmakers and their families while in office. Mandatory blind trusts. Real-time public disclosure. Criminal penalties for violations, not ethics committee slaps on the wrist.
I will not own a single individual stock while I serve. That is my commitment to CA-48 on Day One.
In my opinion, it’s not a coincidence that hundreds of Congress members end their public service far wealthier than they began it.
11) By design Congress is supposed to serve as a check on the executive branch through budgetary, legislative and oversight powers. Do you believe that Congress has fulfilled that obligation in recent years? Why or why not? Should Congress do more to hold the president accountable? Explain. (150 words max)
No. Congress has failed. I will say that plainly.
The Iran war just blew past the 60-day war powers deadline. Congress left town. The president said the law does not apply to him. The majority said nothing. That is not a check on power. That is a surrender to it.
Both parties have played this game for years. Oversight hearings turned into theater. Budgets used as weapons. Constitutional obligations ignored for political convenience.
Here is what I will do: Enforce the War Powers Act. Restore real oversight authority. Vote my conscience over my party when accountability is on the line.
The founders gave Congress these powers for a reason. It’s time we used them.
12) A recent San Diego Union-Tribune poll found voters overwhelmingly disapprove of the job Congress is doing, by higher margins than they disapprove of the job Trump is doing. Why do you think this is? How can Congress win back voters’ hope and trust, and what would you personally do to achieve this? (150 words max)
Congress has earned that disapproval.
Voters are not wrong. They watch a body that performs for cameras, fights for donors and goes home without solving a single problem that matters to real families. At least with Trump people know exactly what they are getting. Congress pretends. That is worse.
The disapproval is not about left or right. It is about results. People want groceries to be affordable, their kids to be safe and someone in Washington actually listening.
Here is how I will be different: Monthly town halls in CA-48. Published voting record with plain-language explanations after every major vote. Zero corporate PAC money.
Trust is not won with a speech. It is won by showing up, being honest and doing exactly what you said you would do.