Rep. Raul Ruiz to be challenged by Raul Ruiz in Nov. 2020

A new challenger for Congressman Dr. Raul Ruiz’s seat in the November elections has thrown their hat in the race and his name is… Raul Ruiz.

Raul M. Ruiz, a Republican, announced he was running for Congress on Thursday.

According to his campaign page, challenger Ruiz has lived in Riverside County for nearly his whole life, having moved to Perris from New Mexico when he was a 1-year-old. Ruiz worked the fields of Romoland and Homeland when he was 7 years old.

After growing up dealing with discrimination and severe poverty, Ruiz became a contractor and at the age of 27, started up his own business. Ruiz’s business builds homes and buildings across the county, from Hemet to Palm Springs, and in several states.

“My life has taught me the value of hard work, integrity, and faith in the American dream. In Congress, I’ll put those lessons to work for hard-working Californians,” reads a post on Ruiz’s Facebook page.

Ruiz has some experience in politics. In 2018, he ran for a Perris City Council seat but had to withdraw from the race due to a residency issue.

Congressman Ruiz grew up in Coachella. The son of farmworkers, Ruiz attended Coachella Valley High School and went on to graduate from UCLA and Harvard University. According to his campaign page, Ruiz is the first Latino to earn three graduate degrees from Harvard University.

After his training, Ruiz became an emergency room doctor at Eisenhower Medical Center, now Eisenhower Health, in Rancho Mirage. He continued to work as an ER doctor until he was elected to Congress in 2012, unseating former Palm Springs Mayor Mary Bono.

During his 2012 campaign, Ruiz told News Channel 3’s Karen Devine one of the reasons he decided to run for Congress was because he felt he could do more in his community in Washington.

In the Nov. 2018, Ruiz was elected to his fourth term with 59% of the vote.

The election for Dr. Ruiz’s seat won’t be until November 3, 2020. Ruiz is the second challenger to announce his campaign. Conservative Erin Cruz has also announced her intentions to challenging for Dr. Ruiz’s seat.

On her campaign website, Cruz is described as a “Tea Party Republican and Classical, Constitutional Conservative with the ability to transcend traditional Party Lines.”

Cruz is the widow of internationally renowned scientist, Dr. Rene Cruz, and has written a book on politics. In 2018, she ran for the U.S. Senate in California, finishing sixth.

At this, there is no word on how each of the Ruiz candidates will appear on the ballot, be sure to keep an eye on the (D) and (R) for this election.

We reached out to Dr. Ruiz campaign for a statement about the similarly named candidate. His office responded with a statement:

“They know they can’t beat the real Dr. Ruiz on the merits, so now they’re resorting to gimmicks and trickery. All they’re trying to do is confuse voters. That won’t create jobs, help veterans or bring down health care costs, which is what the real Dr. Ruiz has been fighting for.” – statement from Dr. Ruiz’s office.

California’s 36th District, includes the entire Coachella Valley, as well as Banning, Beaumont, Blythe, Hemet, and San Jacinto.

Stay with News Channel 3 for any updates.

KESQ 2019