Three candidates vying for California’s 1st Congressional district seat faced off in a Mother’s Day debate that touched on party-line politics as well as systemic change.
Democratic state Sen. Mike McGuire, Republican Assemblyman James Gallagher and Democrat Audrey Denney are running to fill the seat vacated by the passing of Rep. Doug LaMalfa. But, following LaMalfa’s passing, Proposition 50 redrew the lines, giving District 1 a Democratic majority. The three candidates are also running, then, to fill the redrawn District 1 seat.
Voters will vote twice — once for the remainder of LaMalfa’s term under the old district lines and one for the 2027-29 term under the new lines.
Denney, who has made two attempts at the seat in what was, until Proposition 50, a majority-Republican district, spoke about what she sees as a broken system. She called for banning stock trading by members of Congress and restoring congressional war powers.
“If you want more of what Sacramento has to offer, you have your candidates,” she said, referring to the two lawmakers on each side of her at the debate table. “If you want system change — I am your option.”
Though Denney had been seated in the middle, the debate crossfire missed her. McGuire and Gallagher focused on each other as they traded shots, resulting in each garnering more time for rebuttal. Each candidate was given 90 seconds to answer questions, accompanied by an opening and closing statement and room for rebuttal if someone’s name was mentioned.
The debate was one of the first of its kind in Chico. It took place at the Chico Women’s Club but wasn’t open to the general public; it aired on Action News Now and is available for viewing on Metric Studios’ YouTube channel here.
Gallagher repeatedly called out McGuire for making wildfire a secondary budget priority and falling in line with Gov. Gavin Newsom’s policies.
McGuire took credit for an increase in Cal Fire firefighting capacity in this area. A statement on his website says that under Democratic leadership, “California is investing more resources in CAL FIRE than ever before.”
Gallagher, as the only Republican at the table, often compared his vision to LaMalfa’s and mentioned shared achievements. “I plan to continue that same great representation that Doug LaMalfa represented,” he said.
Chico City Councilmember Addison Winslow, who moderated the debate along with Tehama County Supervisor Greg Jones, asked how candidates would direct congressional spending to District 1 projects.
McGuire said he would reopen Glenn Medical Center, which closed after its Critical Access Hospital status was revoked. Other projects he mentioned were supporting rural fire departments and fuel reduction projects, and focusing on Glenn County groundwater.
Gallagher also said a priority was protecting rural hospitals, but he attributed the challenges those hospitals face to state mandates rather than federal cuts or reimbursement rates. Gallagher prioritizes investment in reservoirs and water storage.
Denney’s number one priority is infrastructure, especially in the case of wildfire evacuation. She suggested earmarking FEMA funds for “rural evacuation corridors” as well as increasing rural high-speed Internet access.
Denney and McGuire both said they want to protect healthcare and Social Security while increasing taxes on the ultra-wealthy.
To reduce the national debt, Gallagher would reduce government spending. “We need to get federal spending under control, and it’s gotten out of control,” he said. “It’s one of the reasons Doge [the Department of Government Efficiency] happened.”
Winslow asked the candidates what could be done to “revitalize rural American communities.”
“For too long, our communities have been treated as places you should extract resources out of instead of invest in,” Denney said, calling for the government to invest in local apprenticeships.
Gallagher mentioned boosting education with university programs that move people into the workforce in areas that communities need. “Why is rural California declining?” Gallagher asked. “It’s because the Democrats in the state legislature have raised their costs dramatically and are killing their jobs.”
McGuire said rural America has been “written off for too long.” He talked about the advances he made in his district, bringing more funding to infrastructure and healthcare.
Jones asked the final question of the night: “As we approach the 250th anniversary of our country’s independence, how do you assess our progress toward our founding ideals of natural rights, equality and government by consent?”
Gallagher mentioned LaMalfa, speaking highly of how he advocated for his constituents. He said the Prop 50 redistricting has taken away the voice of the people in the area.
“We need to stop this kind of redistricting that’s about politics instead of about people,” Gallagher said. “We need to make sure places are represented, not politicians.”
Denney said the “system isn’t working for ordinary people anymore.”
“The next chapter of the American story should be one where we fully live into the promise of a government for the people, by the people and of the people,” she said.
McGuire called for protecting democracy and free elections.
“There is a red line in the sand and that is that our democracy is non-negotiable,” he said. “We have to do the work, we have to show up, we have to protect voting rights. We have to disagree with each other without hating each other.”
McGuire said rural America was “written off for too long.” He talked about the advances he made in his district, bringing more funding to infrastructure and healthcare in his district.
Chris Hutton is a contributor to ChicoSol.