Bombshell: Hometown Paper Endorses Devin Nunes’ Opponent

The Fresno Bee, hometown newspaper to GOP Representative Devin Nunes, has published a scathing editorial endorsing his Democratic opponent. 

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“For the first time in nearly 16 years, the @FresnoBee is not recommending Devin Nunes to voters. I am honored to have the Bee’s recommendation. Together, we can move the Central Valley forward. -AJ”

The Bee had supported Nunes since 2002, but this year is giving its support ro Andrew Janz, the Democratic challenger.

According to the newspaper, it is Janz:

“who offers the best chance to both lead the district by attending to its issues and then by striving for bipartisanship in Washington, D.C., which is the only answer to the poison of gridlock politics that is stifling debate and action at nearly all levels.”

The paper’s editorial board gave a very detailed explanation of its reasons for supporting the moderate Janz, a former prosecutor.

It also criticized Nunes for supporting Republican Party ideology even when doing so hurts voters in his district. One example given was his many votes to repeal and undermine the Affordable Care Act (Obamacare), saying:

“Nunes voted along party lines in approving the House version of the American Health Care Act of 2017. It would have shrunk Medicaid by 15 million enrollees nationwide by 2026. Medicaid is the government program that covers low-income children, adults, seniors and people with disabilities, aiding one in five Americans. In Nunes’ district, 313,000 people were enrolled in Medi-Cal as of January. Of those, 74,000 would have immediately lost coverage, and all would have had their coverage impacted through loss of benefits or access to doctors. (Medi-Cal is California’s version of Medicaid).”

“Nunes did this despite the fact that his district has more people relying on government-paid medical assistance than almost anywhere else in the nation,” The Bee added.

The paper was especially hard on Nunes for refusing to hold town halls, dodging his constituents, and for his close ties to Trump.

The paper says voters in the district have “a chance to become a model for the nation,” or go with Nunes “and remain stuck with the damaging partisanship he practices, the party-above-country mode that motivates him to protect President Trump from the investigation into Russian meddling more than meet his constitutional obligations as an independent arm of government.”

In response to criticism from his local newspaper Nunes has gone full Trump and launched attacks on the Bee.

“Last week, Devin Nunes sent constituents in his Central Valley, California, district a 38-page glossy mini-magazine entirely dedicated to lambasting the area’s largest newspaper, the Fresno Bee.”

Unfortunately Nunes represents a very Republican district and he is still ahead in polling. But the fact that he has alienated his hometown newspaper and many of his constituents is a sign that his power and influence is waning.

Leo Vidal

I am a lifelong Democrat with a passion for social justice and progressive issues. I have degrees in writing, economics and law from the University of Iowa.