{"id":239537,"date":"2026-03-27T17:46:16","date_gmt":"2026-03-27T17:46:16","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/239537\/"},"modified":"2026-03-27T17:46:16","modified_gmt":"2026-03-27T17:46:16","slug":"this-gay-economist-running-for-congress-in-california-makes-his-case-on-the-economy","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/239537\/","title":{"rendered":"This gay economist running for Congress in California makes his case on the economy"},"content":{"rendered":"

A Southern California<\/a> congressional primary is quickly becoming a test of a question Democrats<\/a> can\u2019t seem to settle: whether LGBTQ+<\/a> identity is still seen as a political<\/a> liability or whether the party is misreading what voters actually care about.<\/p>\n

Keep up with the latest in LGBTQ<\/a>+ news and politics. Sign up for The Advocate’s email newsletter.<\/a><\/p>\n

In California\u2019s 48th Congressional District, a newly competitive seat stretching from Palm Springs into Riverside and San Diego counties, Democrats are not just battling for a nomination. They are navigating one of the most crowded and ideologically diverse primaries in the country, with more than a dozen candidates, including high-profile contenders like Ammar Campa-Najjar<\/a> and San Diego City Councilmember Marni von Wilpert<\/a>, as well as a wide field of local officials, business leaders, and first-time candidates.<\/p>\n

A recent controversy began with a campaign memo tied to Democrat Ammar Campa-Najjar that critics said suggested LGBTQ+ candidates might struggle to build a winning coalition beyond Palm Springs, one of the country\u2019s most prominent queer enclaves. His campaign denied that the memo was referring to LGBTQ+ identities.<\/p>\n

\"brandon<\/p>\n

brandon riker behind a banner of his name “For congress” with volunteers<\/p>\n

Brandon Riker (center) with volunteers supporting his campaign for Congress.Courtesy Riker for Congress<\/p>\n

Related: Democrat under fire over campaign memo implying LGBTQ+ candidates aren\u2019t electable in key California race<\/a><\/p>\n

Related: Darrell Issa\u2019s retirement opens Palm Springs\u2013area House race for queer Democrats<\/a><\/p>\n

Brandon Riker, one of several out Democrats in the race, has chosen not to engage the memo on its own terms. Instead, he is rejecting the premise beneath it.<\/p>\n

\u201cI don\u2019t think there are people who are going to support me or not support me because I\u2019m openly gay,\u201d he said in an interview with The Advocate.<\/p>\n

What voters ask him about, he said, is far more immediate: the cost of groceries, the price of gas, whether they can afford to stay where they live.<\/p>\n

A different diagnosis<\/p>\n

Riker\u2019s argument is a rebuke, not just to one campaign, but to a broader strain of Democratic anxiety.<\/p>\n

After the 2024 election cycle, some strategists and donors urged candidates to recalibrate their messaging on transgender<\/a> rights, suggesting the issue had become politically risky. Riker rejects that logic outright. \u201cWe didn\u2019t talk too much about trans rights,\u201d he said. \u201cWe didn\u2019t talk enough about the economy.\u201d<\/p>\n

Related: This bisexual San Diego City Council member is fighting to replace Darrell Issa in Congress<\/a><\/p>\n

In Riker\u2019s telling, Democrats did not lose because they defended marginalized people; they lost because too many voters no longer believe the party can materially improve their lives.<\/p>\n

\u201cIf we can\u2019t solve and win on the economy, then we\u2019re not going to be able to protect LGBTQ rights, women\u2019s rights, or protect democracy,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

Identity, without apology<\/p>\n

Riker is not running away from identity politics so much as deprioritizing it in his pitch to voters. He speaks openly about being gay. He touts support from LGBTQ leaders. He calls gender-affirming care \u201cmedically necessary\u201d and condemns efforts to restrict it.<\/p>\n

\u201cI will always stand with the trans community,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

But he resists the idea, implicit in the memo controversy, that identity itself determines electability.<\/p>\n

\u201cI fundamentally believe any of us could win this district in a general election if we have the right message,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

The economist\u2019s campaign<\/p>\n

Where Riker does want to distinguish himself is in policy, specifically the economy.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019d be the only trained economist in the House of Representatives,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

Riker holds a bachelor\u2019s degree in economics from Washington College, where he graduated Phi Beta Kappa, and a master\u2019s degree from the London School of Economics and Political Science. He has also worked in investment and business strategy roles.<\/p>\n

He has built his campaign around what he calls a \u201csecond New Deal,\u201d a set of proposals to restructure how wealth is taxed and distributed. He has called for eliminating the cap on payroll taxes that fund Social Security, so higher earners continue paying into the system beyond the current threshold. At the same time, he wants to make the first $50,000 of income tax-free, a change he says would put roughly $3,000 back into workers\u2019 pockets annually, \u201cnot at tax time, but in every paycheck.\u201d<\/p>\n

He also focuses on capital gains, which he argues are taxed too lightly relative to wages. \u201cWe have to tax capital gains the way that wealth is really generated in this country,\u201d he said, calling for rates on gains above $1 million, excluding primary homes, to align more closely with income taxes.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s really not an affordability crisis, it\u2019s an economic crisis in the way the system is working,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

\"brandon<\/p>\n

brandon riker standing before a townhall audience listening to a person speak<\/p>\n

Brandon Riker listenst to a town hall participant’s concerns as he runs for the Democratic nomination for Congress in his California district.Courtesy Riker for Congress<\/p>\n

He describes the current moment not as an affordability crisis but as a \u201cstructural economic crisis\u201d that has eroded trust in institutions and fueled political volatility. \u201cWhat has happened is both parties have failed the working people in this country,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

That failure, he argues, is what drives the oscillation between administrations and the growing appeal of more extreme political solutions.<\/p>\n

\u201cIf we can\u2019t solve and win on the economy,\u201d he said, \u201cthen we\u2019re not going to be able to protect LGBTQ+ rights, women\u2019s rights, or protect democracy.\u201d<\/p>\n

This article originally appeared on Advocate: This gay economist running for Congress in California makes his case on the economy<\/a><\/p>\n

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