Meet Gus

As your Congressman, I’ll bring a wide variety of skills and experiences to the table. As an educator for the last 14 years, I’ve built a successful business throughout the Bay Area and around the country by working with individual families, listening to them to understand their goals and the obstacles they face, and then helping them achieve their goals. I look forward to listening to you to understand your goals and challenges, and I want you to know: I am willing to work with anyone and everyone to help make our government work better for you, no matter who you are.

A Diverse Background

Racism is a topic that’s very much on people’s minds these days. I grew up a mixed-race kid in Missouri in the 70’s and 80’s, so I’ve experienced real racism. That experience makes it possible for me to have meaningful conversations with people across the political spectrum on this issue, and I want to use my experience and those conversations to help bring people together to find common ground.

But diversity isn’t only about race. My father was an immigrant to this country; he did it the right way and proudly received his citizenship in 1977. But he arrived here virtually penniless, and when he married my mother, who grew up on a farm and then later in a convent, they started at the bottom of the ladder. Another form of diversity is being able to say: I know what it’s like to be a kid listening at the kitchen door late at night when your parents think you’re asleep, hearing them have hard conversations about how they’ll make ends meet this month. I know what it’s like to watch your mom work a full-time job and raise 4 kids basically on her own because your dad is working 3 jobs. I know what it’s like to work a $3.35-per-hour minimum wage job while you’re in school.

Because of my parents’ sacrifices and the opportunities this country offers, I have gone on to achieve a comfortable middle-class life. I got there through education, entrepreneurship, and a lot of hard work, and I’m excited to go to Congress to work hard to improve education and make it easier for people to start businesses. Quality education and robust entrepreneurship are the keys to upward mobility, and I want as many people as possible to have them, especially in our immigrant and minority communities, so that we can build a society where no one has to have the kind of conversations my parents did.

A genuine desire to help the people of the 15th district.

I’ve been working in the 15th district for over 14 years, listening to families and helping them overcome challenges and achieve their goals. Politics at its best is exactly that: listening to everyday people and helping them overcome challenges and achieve goals. I’ve worked with families of every background, in every part of the district, and at every income level. That experience has shown me that regardless of race, creed, or income level, people generally want the same things: a safe neighborhood to live in, a stable job with a decent income, and a good school for their children. At a time when crime is on the rise, crony capitalism is shaking people’s faith in our economy, and our schools are struggling more than ever, it’s imperative that our representatives in Congress work harder than ever before to be responsive to people’s needs and make government work for them.

As your Congressman, that’s exactly what I’ll do: be responsive to your needs and focus my energy on making government work better for you. Vote Gus on June 7th and November 8th, and let me show you what I can do.

Why I’m running:

I’m running because I’m committed to building a healthy, vibrant Republican party, one that offers a conservative vision and a set of conservative policies that can appeal broadly across the political spectrum. I came of age in the 1980’s, when Reagan won 49 states with exactly that strategy. We live in an age of different challenges and opportunities, but a conservative vision and set of policies to address them are possible, and I’m committed to building them.

Whether you’re liberal, conservative, or independent, it should concern you that California is effectively a one-party state, and has been for approaching a generation. But it’s up to our party to offer Californians a compelling alternative. I’m committed to building that alternative, but I need your help—conservatives, liberals, and independents alike—to make it happen. I still have faith that we can work together, despite our differences, to build a better future for ourselves and for our children.