Former pilot ready for political run

Alicia Robinson

He’s running as a Democrat in a district that has elected a

Republican to Congress for the last eight terms, but Jim Brandt said

he’s uniquely qualified to represent the area and is fulfilling a

long-held goal by seeking the 46th Congressional District seat.

Brandt faces fellow Democrats Tan Nguyen and Paul C. Wilkins in

the March 2 primary.

Formerly from Northern California, Brandt came south after college

when he followed family tradition and joined the military. As a

Marine Corps pilot, Brandt was stationed at the former El Toro base

when he wasn’t on overseas assignments.

Expecting to be drafted in the early 1970s, Brandt decided to

volunteer. He initially chose the Marines because they would let him

train during the summer and continue graduate studies and play

football, which he used to earn scholarships, during the school year,

he said.

While he enjoyed the military, Brandt wanted to try his hand at

business.

Computer training he got in the Marines became a basis for

starting his own software company and working for several others. He

also has been chief operating officer of Security Pacific Computer

Solutions.

But the business experience, too, was part of a larger goal,

Brandt said.

“I have wanted to run for Congress since I was 10 years old, and

everything I did, I did to prepare myself for that,” he said.

Brandt’s best preparation for being a legislator, he said, is his

experience in the boardroom, negotiating contracts and discussing

labor issues. That and his military experience set him apart from his

Democratic opponents in the primary, he said.

As a Democrat, Brandt wants to help the working class, he said.

With the outsourcing of jobs and the Wal-Mart business model that

keeps employee costs down, the country’s middle class is shrinking,

he said.

After backpacking through the Andes with his son and running in

three marathons, Brandt is putting his endurance to use walking

through precincts and knocking on doors.

Although the 46th Congressional District tends to vote Republican,

Brandt said some voters still vote for the person rather than the

party when they get a chance to meet candidates.

“I think it’s very possible that I could get the votes I need,” he

said. “I just have to work at it.”