California Rep. Devin Nunes (R-22nd, Tulare) officially Resigned from Congress, following through on his December pledge to step down from the Elected Office he has held since 2002. His Resignation Letter was read aloud, on the House floor on Monday. It takes effect at 11:59 p.m. Monday.
“It has been the honor of my life to represent the people of California’s San Joaquin Valley for the last 19 years,” Nunes said in the Letter.
In the Letter, Nunes only alluded to why he's leaving Office, to run a Social Media Company owned by Trump. “I’ve been presented with a new opportunity to fight for the most important issues I believe in,” Nunes said in his Letter, not explicitly naming, Truth Social, the name of Trump's proposed Social Media Platform.
Nunes was in line to become Chair of the powerful Ways and Means Committee, if Republicans, regained Control of Congress in 2022.
Nunes had represented the heavily Republican 22nd Congressional District that covered Tulare and Fresno Counties. But because of once-a-decade Redistricting, Nunes' District was Redrawn to Democrat-leaning. Rep. Jim Costa (D-16th District, Fresno) announced last month that he would run for the newly drawn Seat.
Before the November General Election, to fill the newly Redistricted Seat, though, Gov. Gavin Newsom (D), must schedule a Special Primary and General Election to Replace Nunes. The Top Two Vote-Getters, in the Primary, held in March, will then go on to a General Election within 200 days of the Vacancy, meaning that the Nunes Seat will be Empty until Midsummer.
Phil Arballo (D-22nd District, Fresno), who Lost to Nunes in 2020, announced that he would run in the Special Election in December.
“Devin Nunes may have called it quits on the Central Valley, but quitting isn’t in my bones. I’m ready to represent the people of this great community in the halls of Congress, and I won’t back down from a fight. We need a representative who will fight for good-paying jobs, access to quality, affordable health care, and protect our environment so farmers can grow crops, and our children can drink clean water,” Arballo said.
Also running:
- State Senator Andreas Borgeas (R-8th District), which encompasses parts of the Central Valley and the Sierra Nevada. Before being elected to the State Senate, he was a Fresno County Supervisor.
- Fresno County Supervisor Nathan Magsig (R), a former Mayor and Council Member in Clovis.
- Elizabeth Heng (R), a Tech CEO, who Lost to Costa in 2018.
- Eric Garcia (Independent), a Disabled U.S. Marine, who previously ran in the 2020 Primary.
- Lourin Hubbard (D), an Environmental Justice, and Racial Equity Activist. from Bakersfield.
Nunes' Resignation, brings an end to more than Two-Decade Political Career, that saw the son of a Tulare Dairy Family, rise from being Elected to the College of the Sequoias Board of Trustees, to a Powerful Politicians in the U.S. Congress.
A prodigious Campaign Fundraiser, Nunes had more Campaign Cash, on hand, than any House Republican when he stepped down. He made regular Fundraising Appearances for his fellow GOP House Members, raising millions for his Colleagues. And through his Political Action Committee, NewPAC, he gave direct Contributions to 70 fellow Republicans, according to OpenSecrets, a Nonpartisan Watchdog Group that Monitors Political Donations.
Most Tulare County Voters First noticed Nunes in 1998, when he launched a successful Legal Battle to run for U.S. Congress, after Tulare County Elections Pfficials moved to Strike his name from the Primary Ballot, because he was too young at the Filing time, to Qualify for Federal Office. He eventually lost that race but made a name for himself in local politics.
After his 1998 Primary Loss, Nunes waited Four years to make another run for Congress, while serving on the College of the Sequoias Board of Trustees.
For the 2002 run, he had the Backing of Bill Thomas, the powerful Kern County Republican Congressman, and Chairman of the House Ways and Means Committee. Former President George W. Bush also appointed Nunes to serve as California Director for the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Rural Development program.
But even with the backing of those powerful Political Allies and an advantageous District, the then-29-year-old Politician didn’t have a clear path to Victory, when Jim Patterson, the Popular and Politically Conservative Mayor of Fresno, jumped into the 2002 GOP Primary Race for the Seat.
However, Nunes won the Primary with Strong Support among Tulare County Voters. "I thought I could win. No one else did, but I knew I could win," Nunes said.
In November 2002, Nunes easily Won the general election with 70% of the vote. Until the 2018 election, Nunes never polled lower than 63% of the vote in elections.
In the 2016 election, Nunes was One of the earliest Congressional Supporters of Trump, who visited Tulare with the Congressman during Campaign Fundraising Events. Nunes was One of Trump's most outspoken Supporters during his Administration, serving on his 2017 Transition Team, and was One of Trump’s most vocal 2019 Impeachment Defenders.
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