Kevin Kiley and Kermit Jones on immigration, abortion and fires

Democrat Dr. Kermit Jones, left, and Republican Kevin Kiley

By Hannah FryStaff Writer

Oct. 25, 2022 5:19 PM PT

Republican Assemblymember Kevin Kiley and Democrat Dr. Kermit Jones are vying to represent the largely rural 3rd Congressional District, which stretches hundreds of miles from the southern tip of Lassen Volcanic National Park through Mammoth Lakes to Death Valley.

The race is one of 11 key California contests in the Nov. 8 midterm election that could determine the balance of power in the House of Representatives.

Jones’ answers are drawn from a questionnaire sent to candidates in competitive California congressional races. The responses have been edited for clarity and length. Kiley did not respond, so information about his views was collected from his campaign website, debates, past votes and news coverage.

Experience and priorities

UPDATED Oct. 25, 2022 | 5:14 PM

Why should you be elected to Congress?

Jones
Jones spoke of his work as a medical doctor and a Navy veteran; he joined after the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks and served as flight surgeon for a Marine helicopter squadron.

“I have a record of service and leadership, whether on my family farm and business, during two deployments to Iraq or the nearly two decades I have spent putting my patients first. I’ll never be afraid or unwilling to work with both parties or anyone to fix our most pressing problems, like inflation, securing women’s constitutional rights to privacy or to stand up to leaders of either party when they’re wrong. My constituents will know where I stand and that I will fight for them.”

Kiley
Kiley said during a debate in May that “political failures and radical policies” are ruining the quality of life in the state.

In his candidate statement for the voter guide, Kiley said he is “running for Congress to stop the wasteful spending, defend our Constitution, protect our freedoms and make our government accountable to the people.”

How do your experiences make you qualified?

Jones
“I had the honor and privilege of being part of a Marine helicopter squadron that represented the interests and goodwill of over 350 million Americans when I was in Iraq. Service to our country, whether in the military or in Congress, has never been about partisan politics for me; it’s about keeping the oaths I made to my patients and our country.”

He said it was about making sure the residents of the district “have someone fighting for a federal fire insurance plan and increased funding for first responders in our district; it’s about whether our business leaders and job creators know they have a solid partner at the federal level to support economic opportunity and growth; and it’s about making sure our working families have a fair shake and chance at the American dream. This is my focus, and this is what makes me most qualified to represent this district.”

Kiley
Kiley is an attorney who has served three terms in the state Assembly. He was one of a slate of Republicans who campaigned to replace Gov. Gavin Newsom in the 2021 recall election and ran unsuccessfully for state Senate in 2019.

Kiley’s campaign website highlights his legislative work on education, free speech, criminal justice and other issues.

What would be your top legislative priorities?

Jones
Jones lists his priorities as “commonsense legislation like the Chips and Science Act to bring supply chains and jobs back to the United States and bring prices back down to Earth; a federal fire insurance plan to help our communities recover from the devastating fires in our community; and federal grants and forgivable loans to increase the number of medical providers in rural areas and help doctors form small groups multispecialty practices that increase physician autonomy and negotiating power.”

Kiley
On his website, Kiley says he would work to reduce fees and taxes on energy production, cut taxes, strengthen border security, reform the Department of Veterans Affairs, improve forest management to reduce wildfires and strengthen laws against “violent and repeat offenders.”

Policy

UPDATED Oct. 25, 2022 | 5:07 PM

How would you work with the other party?

Jones
“I would work diligently with my Republican colleagues to create a federal fire insurance plan for every eligible household in the country. Fires, which worsen across the Western states every single year, are burning homes and property regardless of the political affiliation of the owner. Many Republican voters live in these rural areas near the wildfire urban interface, so I would work urgently to secure broad support from Republicans as well, helping to secure their constituents economically in their homes. There is already a model for this in a federal flood insurance plan.”

Kiley
Kiley has refused to say whether President Biden won the 2020 election. He has been outspoken in his frequent criticism of Biden, Newsom, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and other Democratic leaders. In his campaign announcement on Twitter, he said he would “fight Biden and Pelosi’s radical agenda just as hard as I’ve fought Newsom and the Supermajority.”

What is your stance on abortion?

Jones
Jones supports federal protection for abortion access, saying he has “always felt there is no place for the government, partisan politics or the political preferences of elected officials or unelected justices to make these decisions for those families.”

“Banning abortion goes against our most sacred, American principles of self-determination,” he said.

Kiley
In the Assembly, Kiley voted against placing a constitutional amendment on the ballot to explicitly protect abortion rights in California and voted against other abortion rights measures.

During a debate ahead of the primaries before Roe vs. Wade was overturned, Kiley said he would “fight for pro-life policies.”

At the time, he said the leaked Supreme Court opinion overturning the landmark 1973 ruling was the “appropriate decision from a constitutional point of view.”

What would you do about mass shootings?

Jones
Jones believes “Americans have a right to feel safe in their places of worship, schools, hospitals and grocery stores. Like most Americans, I know that guns do not belong in the hands of dangerous criminals. I believe in expanded and more detailed background checks, strong mental health support, red-flag laws and studying the impacts of raising the minimum purchase age for high-capacity weapons and high-powered semiautomatic rifles.”

Kiley
After the mass shooting in Uvalde, Texas, Kiley proposed creating mental health funds for schools and putting police officers at every school. In a Q&A published last year in the San Diego Union-Tribune, Kiley wrote that he “will work to get guns out of the hands of criminals without making it more difficult for law abiding citizens to practice their Second Amendment Rights.”

What would you do to ensure election integrity?

Jones
Jones said he would support the John R. Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act, which would require states with certain previous Voting Rights Act violations to get federal approval before changing practices that might affect voting rights.

“My father grew up in segregated Arkansas, so I am only one generation removed from people being restricted from voting based upon race or other attributes protected under our Constitution,” he said.

“I do believe people who attempted to overthrow our democracy should be held accountable to the fullest extent possible.”

Kiley
When asked during a May debate whether Biden was legitimately elected, Kiley, who has been endorsed by former President Trump, responded that it “depends on what you mean by ‘legitimate.’”

He added that protecting elections is “an important priority.”

What is your opinion about efforts to overhaul police funding?

Jones
“I believe we need to look much broader than police funding when we are trying to figure out how to keep our communities safe, which is our ultimate goal. We need to start by investing in programs to better connect the police with the communities they protect, ensuring trust and communication. I do not believe we benefit by defunding the police. I will always work to make sure that local police have the funding and resources they need to keep us safe and work with our communities.”

Kiley
In a Q&A published last year in the San Diego Union-Tribune, Kiley said he is a “strong supporter of our law enforcement and the important role it plays in keeping us safe.”

What are your policies on healthcare?

Jones
Jones said he supports a public option to the Affordable Care Act, but his healthcare proposals go beyond insurance.

“A person can be fully insured and still have access issues because there are not enough doctors, nurses or other healthcare workers in rural areas. That person may also still pay too much for medications or require unnecessary trips to the hospital for services he or she could receive at home,” he wrote. “I have the most comprehensive healthcare plan of anyone who has ever run for Congress. My plan would lower prescription drug costs while encouraging innovation and a cost-saving mechanism by increasing more tele- and virtual medical care and providing incentives for preventive health.”

Kiley
In an interview last year with Kaiser Health News, Kiley argued that government rules on health insurance and other regulations have contributed to increased costs.

“I’m not sure it’s necessary to be continually specifying what every single plan needs to entail,” Kiley told the outlet. “I don’t know that legislators are always in the best position to be weighing in.”

How would you reform immigration policy?

Jones
“For the last 40 years, Washington politicians have put partisan politics ahead of doing their jobs, leading to a crisis at our borders. I believe that both sides need to stop playing political games and start working to find solutions. I support comprehensive immigration reform that starts with strengthening our border and then creates a pathway to citizenship or guest worker programs for law-abiding immigrants who play by the rules and pay taxes.”

Kiley
Kiley “supports stronger border security to stop illegal immigration and opposes California’s crazy sanctuary city laws,” his website says.

In a Q&A last year with the San Diego Union-Tribune, Kiley spoke out against Senate Bill 54, a 2017 law that limits state and local law enforcement’s communication with federal immigration officials and prevents them from holding people on immigration violations.

What is the federal government’s role in dealing with the homeless crisis?

Jones
“The federal government needs to heavily invest in housing and work with states to incentivize zoning laws which increase multifamily housing. The federal government also needs to strengthen its protections and coverage for mental health issues, substance abuse and domestic violence, all of which are social issues which contribute to our homeless crisis.”

Kiley
Kiley said in a Q&A last year with the San Diego Union-Tribune that in addressing homelessness, he would ensure that shelters are available.

“But once homeless individuals have a roof over their head, I would connect them with the needed services, such as mental health counseling, substance abuse treatment and job training,” he said. “While homelessness is not just a housing issue, there is no doubt that California has an affordability crisis. We need to eliminate the overregulation that makes housing so difficult and costly to build.”

On the issues: Kevin Kiley and Dr. Kermit Jones on immigration, abortion and fires

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