Twain Harte, CA — US House District 5 candidate Michael Masuda, who grew up in Amador County, and now lives with his wife and two young children in Riverbank, held a town hall meeting Saturday night in Twain Harte.
Masuda, a Democrat, drew about 75 people to the Twain Harte Community Center. It was a chance for him to speak about his campaign, and also hear community feedback.
Masuda noted that he is an engineer by trade and worked in the US State Department, primarily during the Presidency of Joe Biden, and left shortly after incoming President Donald Trump took office.
Masuda said he initially came back to his home district and sought out a strong candidate to run against the incumbent, Tom McClintock. When no one was stepping up, he decided to get into the race. He noted that District 5 is about 24,000 square miles, and he has put around 18,000 miles on his car campaigning.
He spoke about his desire to be accessible to constituents and a partner to bring in grant money and infrastructure improvements to the district.
In an interview just before the town hall, Masuda stated that the main issues he is hearing about are “wildfires and fire insurance.” They are followed by healthcare, adding, “making sure that we not just have hospitals that stay open, but also doctors so that people can get in to see a general practitioner or pediatrician.”
Statistically, Masuda faces a steep challenge running in a conservative district.
The group on hand Saturday appeared to be mostly pro-Masuda’s campaign. Republican Congressman Kevin Kiley is planning to announce later today whether he is also going to get into the race because his existing district near Lake Tahoe now leans heavily left following redistricting. Masuda received some of the loudest applause when he told the crowd they might have a chance to beat “two Republican incumbents with one vote.”
He also criticized the current state of international affairs, saying the money could be better spent locally, arguing, “We’re dropping bombs that cost half a million dollars. What could you do with half a million dollars in our communities?”
Some of the other items he was asked about, and responded to, were regarding his support for overturning Citizens United, climate legislation, the impacts of over-regulation, and the current state of the Democratic Party.
