Welcome to Episode 153 with guest Democratic candidate for the 25th Congressional District, Christy Smith.At this point, what more is there to say about Christy Smith? She has literally appeared on this show so many times I’ve lost count. But for those that have missed the other episodes, I’ll catch you up. Christy Smith grew up and lives in Santa Clarita. She has spent most of her life living here. She began her political career on the Newhall School board. Now, she represents the 38th District in the California Assembly which includes the Santa Clarita Valley. Now she is running to represent the 25th Congressional District as a Democrat hoping to beat incumbent Mike Garcia who won the special election in May. This election is like no other. With President Trump up for re-election and the parties so divided, every vote matters for every single seat on the ballot. In his short time in office, Mike Garcia has proven to be a staunch Trump ally, voting again and again on party lines. That’s not a judgement, simply a fact. Love it or leave it. Conversely, Christy Smith is anything but a Trump ally. I think it’s pretty safe to say if you think Mike Garcia supports it, she probably doesn’t and vice versa. A quick observation though, Garcia has shown a great reluctance to give any long form interviews with any media outlet or to even talk to any media unless it is known to have an already established conservative bent. In fact, to my knowledge the last time Garcia did a long form interview was on this very show. More on that during the podcast. As a voter and podcaster, I think it’s important that a Representative for the people should be willing to speak to ALL of his constituents and not just his base. I believe it’s very telling about the person and their qualifications. As I have said before, in full disclosure, Christy is a friend of mine. I don’t always agree with her but I have always had a personal admiration for her ability to always explain her reasoning for the choices and decisions she makes And more importantly, her willingness to talk to anyone about any topic on the record. As she has said to me, “I’m an open book and always game.” We met in the outdoor socially distanced studio of the Talk of Santa Clarita over Labor Day weekend. We talked about a lot of things including the election, Congressman Garcia’s record and her own record. She also answered questions to some of the allegations which have been made against her by her opponent. And even though I didn’t get a joke from her at the end, I did get to hear a tune.

A video version of the podcast is available by clicking on the link below:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X_1gKJcGIUc&feature=youtu.be