Juan Hidalgo looks to secure seat in 51st Congressional District

Former USMC Sergeant Major hopes to unseat incumbent Congressman

Calif. (KYMA, KECY) - Election season is heating up as Republican candidate Juan Hidalgo aims to take incumbent representative Juan Vargas’ seat.

The two are facing off for the 51st Congressional District which serves all of Imperial County and the southern parts of San Diego County.

Sergeant Major Juan Hidalgo is a retired marine who served for over 31 years.

He wants to make a commitment to lowering unemployment rates which he says were significantly higher than the national average even before the pandemic.

Another hot topic: education - Hidalgo says he wants to come up with a better system.

"68% of our children are graduating high school when the national average is 84%," Hidalgo stated. "The 52nd district, right next to us, has 92%. Does that mean that nobody cares about the children of our district? Well I care. And we're going to make a difference to make sure that our children are getting a quality education."

Hidalgo also highlighted protecting the Salton Sea and the New River.
He says leaders need to stop the sewage coming from Mexico to keep our water clean.

We have also reached out to incumbent Representative Juan Vargas,(D-Calif.), but have yet to hear back.