A pro-choice union lawyer from Colton, California, Eloise Gomez Reyes is considered the more progressive candidate for the state’s 31st congressional district.
Gomez Reyes took reader questions about her plans for office and how she hopes to help her district. She is facing Pete Aguilar, the 34-year-old mayor of Redlands, Calif., in the primary. Republican Gary Miller won the seat in 2012, even though constituents also voted heavily for President Obama.
To view the questions in their original context, click on the user name.
@kdm615: I am a college student graduating this June, and I want to go to graduate school to get my teaching credentials, so my biggest concern is college affordability not only for myself but for the future generation of college students.
Last summer, interest rates increased and Congress passed the Bipartisan Student Loan Certainty Act, which tied student loan interest to the market. This, however, brings a lot of uncertainty as to how affordable college is because, for students, loan interest rates can go as high as 8.25% for undergraduates and 10.5% for graduate students. It seems unfair that for someone who plans on being a teacher and won’t be earning as much as other professions, I will have to pay back about $18,000 plus in loans, not including interest or future loans I will have to take out once I go to graduate school. If elected, what will you do for us?
Eloise Gomez Reyes: I know how expensive an education can be. Even with grants and outside work, I still had to take out student loans for college and law school. After receiving my degrees, I had to take time to pay back the loans.
As a country, we have to view student loans as an investment in our people and in our country’s economic health. Student loans should be affordable. I will work to make sure interest rates are low. I will also work to expand loan forgiveness programs for graduates willing to invest in the underserved communities by working there.
We need to focus on assisting indebted graduates who become victims of the widening wealth gap when they are straddled with high student loans at high interest rates.
I believe we have to make college affordable and accessible for those who want to pursue a degree. When students graduate college with their degree and affordable loan repayment plans they are able to buy things like homes and cars and start families — and, generally, they can invest in America. This widens our tax base and everyone benefits when that happens.
I also would like to comment on a troubling development I see with for-profit online colleges. We are starting to see more and more cases of online for-profit colleges targeting our returning veterans for their GI Bill funds. Increasingly we are seeing examples of these for-profit schools using up a veteran’s GI Bill funds and not providing the education they promise. That’s wrong and I will work to stop it.
Alex Beltran: What do you think Washington needs now?
EGR: Washington needs representatives committed to solutions that serve the needs of the nation. I’m running because Washington is broken. It’s broken because too many politicians go to Washington to get a job and spend all their time working to keep the job. Not me. I am going to Washington to do the job! There is work to be done and I will roll up my sleeves to do the job.
Washington needs representatives who will put the priorities of the community above partisan bickering. I am running now because I’ve seen Washington become more and more dysfunctional over the last decade. The Republicans are fighting for big business and special interests. I want to be the voice for the working people, for seniors on fixed incomes, for veterans who have served us so admirably, and for women who earn less than men for doing the same job.
Washington needs representatives willing to work hard. I know what it is like to work hard. I started working when I was 12 years old picking onions in the fields. I worked my way through college and law school. I saw my parents struggle. My father left to go to work early in the morning and returned late to eat and go to bed only to get up early the next day.
I’ve worked hard as an attorney, but never forgot where I came from. I want opportunities to come back to our community and the Inland Empire and I decided to go to Washington to fight for it.
I am going to Washington to fight for you and to push open the doors of opportunity for Inland Empire families.
Christopher R. Stone via Twitter: There is a problem with representatives identifying with constituents. How do you identify with the people?
%22I%20want%20to%20be%20the%20voice%20for%20the%20working%20people%2C%20for%20seniors%20on%20fixed%20incomes%2C%20for%20veterans%20who%20have%20served%20us%20so%20admirably%20and%20for%20women%20who%20earn%20less%20than%20men%20for%20doing%20the%20same%20job.%22′
EGR: I am grounded in my community. I see myself as a servant of the needs of the community. The disconnect you speak of does not exist for me because I am not a career politician beholden to special interests. In fact, this is why I am running for Congress. There has been too much partisanship in Washington and it’s getting worse.The problem is many of our elected officials go to Washington to get a job. I am going to do a job.
It will be easy for me to stay connected with the community here because I have always been of this community. It’s in my blood. I grew up here in the Inland Empire. I worked the onion fields as a 12-year-old with my family to earn money for school clothes. I worked my way through law school and started a law firm right here in San Bernardino County representing injured workers. I raised a family here with my husband Frank. As a working mother, I had to prioritize what needed to be done and this is not happening in Washington. Politicians are more interested in scoring political points.
No one should agree with a political party 100% of the time and I know I won’t always agree with mine. My vote will be based on what is best for working families here at home.
I will stay connected with the community here because I have the right priorities. For me, it’s good jobs for working families, protecting Social Security and Medicare, making sure veterans get the benefits they’ve earned, providing a good education for our children, and ensuring women receive equal pay for equal work.
I believe we need more women in Congress. When women win, families win and when families win America wins.
Rocio Aguayo: Pollution, obesity, and STI’s (sexually transmitted infections) are a common health hazard for constituents in the 31st district. How can you ensure health programs and nonprofits continue to not only be funded, but also work to create legislation to better the lives and health of constituents in the 31st district?









