In a new poll, Democrat Doug Applegate and Republican Rocky Chávez lead a packed field in the coastal congressional district being vacated by Rep. Darrell Issa, R-Vista.

Thirty-two percent of voters who said President Donald Trump is their biggest issue are backing Applegate, 9 percent are backing Chávez.

Thirty percent of voters who said the economy was their biggest issue are backing Chávez, but just 3 percent of economy-centric voters are backing Applegate.

In a congressional district that includes Camp Pendleton, two former Marines running for the House of Representatives lead in the latest poll. The same survey, however, shows that their supporters are looking for very different things in their next legislator.

Democrat Doug Applegate and Republican Rocky Chávez lead a pack of 12 candidates with support of 18 percent and 17 percent of voters, respectively — a difference that’s within the margin of error. The San Diego Union-Tribune/10News poll was conducted by Survey USA and reached 510 people.

Both candidates are retired Marine Corps colonels and had significant advantages over the second-most popular candidates from their respective parties.

While Chávez and Applegate share a common history, their political bases have very different interests. According to the telephone survey conducted from Feb. 10-13, 30 percent of voters who said the economy is their most important issue are backing Chávez. No other issue of the five topics other pollsters asked about brought Chávez as much support.


Three percent of economy-centric voters are backing Applegate, less than the five other issues pollsters asked about.

Thirty-two percent of Applegate’s supporters said that President Donald Trump is their biggest issue, the most common priority for his base. Conversely, the president was the least important issue for Chávez’s supporters.

With one exception, voters also preferred the two frontrunners over all other candidates in their respective parties on all the other issues the poll addressed. When it came to the wall at the United States’ border with Mexico, voters backed Board of Equalization Member Diane Harkey, R-Dana Point.

Harkey polled behind Chávez at 10 percent, while lawyer Mike Levin, a Democrat from San Juan Capistrano, was next with 8 percent. The poll was conducted with about a month until the filing deadline passes, so the field could see more candidates. At least 12 candidates are running, including five Republicans, five Democrats and one each from the Libertarian and the Peace and Freedom parties.


The field is crowded in part because incumbent Rep. Darrell Issa, R-Vista, announced on Jan. 10 that he would not run for re-election, a move that drew out Republican candidates. Democrats became interested in the seat after Applegate narrowly lost to Issa in 2016 by 1,621 votes, the closest federal race in the country.

The fact that the frontrunners are both retired colonels who are trying to represent a district with the largest Marine base on the West Coast makes sense, Applegate said. The service members vote in the congressional district of their hometowns across the country, but they end up making North County their home when they retire, he said.

“There are 50,000 veteran households,” he said by phone. “And then start counting partners, spouses, children, grandchildren, extended family and friends, this a very unique district.”

He said he had no idea why he and Chávez’s supporters have such different priorities.


Chávez said he suspects his supporters back him on the economy because his Assembly district, an area that includes Encinitas, Vista, Carlsbad and Oceanside, is economically diverse, and he has had to represent constituents with different needs.

“The economy has always been one of the central points since I ran my first election,” Chávez said by phone. “When you look at the quality of life, and equity, and the diverse community that I’ve represented, it’s about jobs.”

He has focused on education, including vocational training while in Sacramento, so he understands the role education plays in economic development, and he suspects voters like that too, he said.

Applegate said he’s not running entirely as an anti-Trump Democrat and has focused on the economy, so the poll findings were a little surprising.


“Whenever I talk to anybody, one of the first things out of my mouth is, ‘Hey, we are polarized because of income disparity,’” he said.

Down in the rankings, San Diego Supervisor Kristin Gaspar, R-Encinitas, polled at 7 percent, while former non-profit CEO Sara Jacobs, a Democrat, polled at 5 percent.

San Juan Capistrano Councilman Brian Maryott and patent attorney Joshua Schoonover, both Republicans, polled at 2 percent. Businessman Paul Kerr and attorney Christina Prejean, Democrats, polled at 1 percent, as did Peace and Freedom Party candidate Jordan Mills. Libertarian Joshua Hancock polled at zero.

While Chávez and Applegate lead, 27 percent of voters have not yet decided who they want to represent them in the 49th District, a coastal seat that stretches from La Jolla to Dana Point.


Among undecided voters, health care and immigrants who entered the United States illegally as children were the most important issues. Democrats polled highest on both those matters.

Chávez said he’s going to use coalitions to make inroads with undecided voters. He recently launched one to work with veterans, and he’s a part of two other bipartisan groups that deal with health care and education.


Twitter: @jptstewart

joshua.stewart@sduniontribune.com

(619) 293-1841