First Face-To-Face Candidate Debate For Mother Lode Congressional Seat

Mariposa, CA — The incumbent and challenger for the Mother Lode District 4 race square off tomorrow afternoon in Mariposa.

This will be the first debate for Republican Congressman Tom McClintock from Elk Grove and Democrat Jessica Morse of Pollock Pines. The two were scheduled to debate last week in Lake Tahoe but McClintock backed out due to concerns that the co-host of the debate, Sierra Business Council’s President, was a Morse backer.

McClintock has held the seat since 2009. On his website he is described as “the gold standard” for fiscal conservatism and touts his voting in favor of the tax overhaul. His opponent Morse made a stop in Sonora yesterday at the Democrat’s  Headquarters on South Washington Street and was greeted by supporters. Morse, a fifth generation Northern Californian, has been focusing on issues like funding wildfire prevention, increasing vocational training and ensuring access to affordable healthcare.

Tomorrow’s debate at the Mariposa County High School auditorium located at 5074 Old Highway North in Mariposa is expected to be a packed house with 180 tickets already doled out to the public via a lottery. The other half of the 360 available seats went to the McClintock and Morse campaigns. The debate is scheduled to begin at 2 p.m.