There are three candidates vying to represent California’s 9th Congressional District, the district that Berkeley is located in: incumbent Democrat Barbara Lee, Republican John Den Dulk, and Libertarian Jim Eyer. Since this district contains many college students, and many of these students are registered to vote locally, I thought it would be mutually beneficial to expose the candidates to you students and vice versa. I sent each candidate a short list of questions and I will be posting their responses each day this week.

Let’s begin with John Den Dulk, the Republican candidate:

Describe your core values in 3 sentences or less.

I believe that America is a force for good in the world, traditional values best shape the lives of our children and our own paths, and that we must pay more attention to the victims of crime and less to the concerns of criminals or terrorists, for that matter. I feel that the Left of the Democrat Party does not agree with these three ideals.

Why would you make a better representative for the 9th district than Barbara Lee?

I represent the Republicans and the traditional JFK Democrats better than she does. JFK lowered taxes and had a strong foreign policy. She speaks for the Radicals in Berkeley, not the Baptists in Oakland.

What do you have to offer to conservative and libertarian voters who are growing tired of the administration’s abuses of power?

The problem has more been individual congressmen, including those in positions of power, who have not lived up to Republican ideals the last few years. I do not agree that vigorously pursuing terrorists from foreign countries constitutes abuse of American citizens, as this question seems to imply.

Finally, is there anything that you’d like to say to the young voters, especially college students, who are reading this?

Get involved and stay involved! The BCRs are the best thing going on campus today.

A separate interview with Mr. Den Dulk can be found in the upcoming election issue of the Patriot. Jim Eyer’s responses coming tomorrow.