Devin Nunes’ Private Meeting Raises Questions

Congressional representative Devin Nunes hosted a private event on last Monday night in Sanger, California, amidst criticism from valley residents that the incumbent Republican candidate has turned a blind eye to his constituents’ issues in recent years.

The Fresno Bee Reports that invitations to the event were sent out to those on Nunes’s mailing list and included an online RSVP form that established a series of precautionary measures to ensure the security of the event.

Attendees were subject to search upon entry and that photos using personal cell phones would be prohibited. Attendees were also required to submit personal information and a series of other criteria prior to being given the time and location of the event. The Bee reports that such security measures have been in place for other events hosted by Nunes, and that these measures are not exclusive to this event.

The event precedes CA-22’s congressional election with Nunes as the incumbent Republican nominee running against Democratic nominee Andrew Janz. Nunes has served the district since 2013 but has come under fire in recent years for what some consider a lack of transparency between representative and constituents. Others consider the need for privacy reasonable given the national attention the race has received.

“Democracies are run by the people, [and] an elected official shouldn’t be running or presiding for his own self interest,” says Kylee Dismuke, ‘19, secretary of Redwood’s Young Liberals. “If he is holding a public event that is exclusive to only his mailing list then it raises the question: who is he really appealing to?”

Though Dismuke admits it is difficult to judge representatives based on only their interactions with constituents, she feels “the people are less inclined to trust a candidate who gives no feedback and uses the population solely as a tool to gain power.”

Others believed the meeting had less to do with secrecy and more to do with privacy given the Republican’s high profile. “I think privacy and failure to represent are two different things,” says Emerson Pressley, ‘22. Pressley continues, “he needs to be able to communicate with [his constituents]” and that Nunes “needs to be consistent for what he says and wants to support both through the election process and through his terms.”

Makenna Haskill, ‘19, argues that a private event doesn’t necessarily equate to having something to hide; “[he] has had something like this in the past, so why would it be a big deal now?”

The congressional election between Republican Devin Nunes and Democratic nominee Andrew Janz will be one to watch this November. To find a polling station near you, you can call your County Elections Office or call a toll-free Voter Hotline at (800) 345-VOTE (8683).