Clinton, Ruiz rally for votes in Oxnard
Rep. Raul Ruiz, D-Palm Desert, joined former President Bill Clinton at a “Get Out the Vote” rally in Oxnard Wednesday.
Ruiz appeared onstage in Oxnard College’s gym with Clinton, Rep. Julia Brownley, D-Westlake Village, and Redlands Mayor Pete Aguilar, who is running for the 31st Congressional District seat in San Bernardino County.
Clinton touched on topics such as raising the minimum wage, “but none of this matters if you don’t vote,” he said. “It is your vote, your life, your future, so vote for these three people,” said Clinton, who shook hands with the candidates before leaving the stage.
In response to Clinton’s backing of Ruiz, Greg Wallis, campaign manager for Ruiz’s Republican challenger, Assemblyman Brian Nestande, said Ruiz and his supporters “know Brian is running a strong campaign and is close to victory.”
Wallis said House Speaker John Boehner, R-Ohio, and House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy, R-Bakersfield, were in the district this month to support Nestande, and President Ronald Reagan’s son, Michael, recently recorded a campaign call on Nestande’s behalf.
The Nestande campaign doesn’t plan to bring any other big names to the district, Wallis said.
Clinton has been campaigning for Democrats around the nation in the last several days, including Las Vegas on Tuesday.
Ruiz, a Coachella Valley native and emergency room doctor, beat longtime legislator Mary Bono two years ago.
