Candidates running for California\u2019s 51st Congressional District are proposing drastically different foreign and domestic policies, as the cost of conflicts in Iran and Gaza continue to ripple throughout the Middle East and San Diego County ahead of the Nov. 3 election.<\/p>\n
Incumbent Democratic candidate Sara Jacobs, 37, is seeking a fourth term in the House of Representatives. Her Republican challenger, 28-year-old Ricardo Cabrera, is running for office for the first time.<\/p>\n
Jacobs currently serves on the House Subcommittee on Military Personnel and Subcommittee on Intelligence and Special Operations. She is also a ranking member of the Subcommittee on Africa, a subset of the Foreign Affairs Committee.<\/p>\n
Cabrera says he holds bachelor\u2019s and master\u2019s degrees in cybersecurity from Grand Canyon University. He owns Grace Guard, a cybersecurity company, and is co-founder of a start-up called Grand Slam Gaming LLC, according to the candidate.<\/p>\n
The 51st District is entirely in San Diego County and includes El Cajon, La Mesa, Lemon Grove, Marine Corps Air Station Miramar and the San Diego neighborhoods of Mission Valley, Normal Heights and Mira Mesa.<\/p>\n
Both candidates were asked about their backgrounds, what their term in office would look like, conflicts in the Middle East and crises in their district, including affordability, housing and homelessness.<\/p>\n
On Iran and Gaza<\/p>\n
The war in Iran and blockade of the Strait of Hormuz has officially<\/a> taken the lives of seven American service members, increased oil prices<\/a> and put further strain on the economy.<\/p>\n As the USS Abraham Lincoln returns\u00a0to San Diego<\/a> after nearly 265 straight days without a port call and eight reported suicide attempts from its strike group, both candidates have different views on the conflict and its effect back home.<\/p>\n Cabrera said he\u2019d like to see an end to the Iran War and a full reopening of the Strait of Hormuz, but he believes the U.S. needs to disable Iran from interfering with American interests long into the future, saying, \u201cIf that means dropping bombs, putting warheads on foreheads, then I\u2019m for it.\u201d<\/p>\n Jacobs opposes using the military in Iran and believes the war has \u201cno stated objective, no strategy\u201d and is \u201cnot worth it.\u201d The incumbent is also worried about dwindling munition stockpiles and \u201creadiness concerns\u201d for military engagements in other parts of the world.<\/p>\n \u201cFrankly, it\u2019s the military families in my district who have been the loudest in asking me to do everything I can to end this war and bring the service members home,\u201d Jacobs said. \u201cDeployments are hard, but these are harder than normal. And this shouldn\u2019t be treated as sort of a routine thing that we ask for our service members.\u201d<\/p>\n As a member of the Congressional Progressive Caucus and a Jewish-American with family living in Israel, Jacobs chooses her words carefully describing the conflict in Gaza. She\u2019s told other news outlets it was \u201clikely\u201d war crimes and genocide occurred, but she told The San Diego Union-Tribune she wanted to wait until the State Department or International Criminal Court labeled it as such.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2026 try and look at the situation in Israel\/Gaza the way I look at and hold the same standard as I do for every other conflict,\u201d Jacobs said.<\/p>\n