Central coast voters gathered to support Andy Caldwell as he kicked off his congressional campaign Saturday morning at the Santa Maria Airport Radisson Hotel parking lot.
Caldwell, a Republican, is challenging Democratic incumbent Salud Carbajal to represent the 24th California congressional district, which includes Santa Barbara County, San Luis Obispo County and the Los Padres National Forest in Ventura County.
Attendees of all ages dressed for inclement weather, which did not stop the rain-or-shine rally from continuing.
According to a press release from Caldwell's campaign, the radio talk show host and executive director of COLAB of Santa Barbara County says he is running for Congress "to restore hope, fix problems and get things done."
Caldwell's website says he will represent moderates, independents and conservatives along the central coast. He plans to tackle issues including wildfires, agriculture, immigration reform and infrastructure.
KSBY has reached out to other candidates running for the same congressional seat.
Michael Erin Woody says he is no longer running for Congress but will support Caldwell's campaign in 2020.
Woody also says he plans on running for Congress in 2022.
We reached out to a spokesperson for Representative Carbajal and did not immediately hear back.
