Fullerton, Calif. – TODAY, Former Lieutenant Commander Gil Cisneros, who is running for Congress in California’s 39th Congressional District, released a polling memo showing the education and veteran advocate ahead of his three Republican challengers. The survey, conducted in March by Tulchin research, shows Cisneros s has already built a solid foundation of support that sets him apart from the other Democratic candidates and puts him in an excellent position to clear the June 2018 primary and ultimately win the seat in November.
The poll, conducted after candidate filing, finds Democrat Gil Cisneros currently leading the open primary field with 19 percent of the vote, followed by Republicans Shawn Nelson (13%), Bob Huff (12%), and Young Kim (11%). Cisneros’ closest Democratic rival, Andy Thorburn, is in fifth place (10%) and trails Cisneros by a margin of nearly 2-to-1. All other candidates are currently attracting single-digit support and 1 in 5 voters (20%) are undecided.
“Gil Cisneros, has committed his life to service to his country and his community, and continues to build a broad coalition of support across the 39th District,” said Cisneros spokesman Orrin Evans. “From local education officials to national veteran advocacy organizations, Gil’s campaign continues to build momentum and is an excellent position to win in November.”
The announcement of the polling data, comes on the heels of the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee adding Cisneros to its Red to Blue program, and Cisneros receiving the endorsements of more in-district local elected officials than the rest of the democratic primary field combined.
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Gil Cisneros is a former U.S. Naval Officer and was awarded the Navy Commendation Medal, Navy Achievement Medal (2), the National Defense Medal, and the Armed Forces Expeditionary Medal for his exemplary service to his country. Gil is Advocate and co-founder of The Gilbert & Jacki Cisneros Foundation, an organization committed to improving the level of Hispanic education in the country. Gilbert’s dedication toward philanthropy began when he purchased a winning California Mega Millions lottery ticket in 2010. Gil and Jacki partnered with the Hispanic Scholarship Fund and the city of Pico Rivera, California to create Generation First Degree Pico Rivera, with the goal of putting a college degree in every Hispanic household in the city. Gil’s commitment to education, led him to be appointed to former First Lady Michelle Obama’s Reach Higher Initiative’s advisory board, on which he still serves, and President Obama’s Advisory Committee on the Arts for the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts.
California’s 39th Congressional District, split between Los Angeles, Orange, and San Bernardino Counties, will be one of the most competitive districts in California. Hillary Clinton won the district by a whopping nine points, the DCCC labeled it a first-round target on its battlefield map and recently, the Cook Political Report changed the district’s status from Lean R to Lean D.