California’s 8th Congressional District is one of the state’s largest, spanning Inyo and Mono counties along with much of San Bernardino County.

Rep. Paul Cook, R-Yucca Valley, has represented the district since 2012. The former state lawmaker and Marine combat veteran faces four challengers in the June 8 primary – former GOP gubernatorial candidate Tim Donnelly and Democrats Marge Doyle, Ronald O’Donnell, and Rita Ramirez.

The top two vote-getters, regardless of party, will advance to the Nov. 6 general election. Republicans hold a roughly 5-percentage point edge in the district’s voter registration.

Here is how the candidates responded to a questionnaire about their campaigns:

PAUL COOK

Age: 75

Resides: Yucca Valley

Occupation: U.S. Representative and retired Marine Corps colonel

Party: Republican

Campaign website: joinpaulcook.com

Endorsements: San Bernardino County Sheriff John McMahon; San Bernardino County Supervisor Robert Lovingood; Highland Mayor Larry McCallon; Yucaipa Mayor Greg Bogh; San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Employee Benefit Association

Why are you running for this office?

I’ve spent my lifetime defending America and the principles that make us strong. We need leaders with the courage to stand on principle and fight for our values. That is my mission in the 8th Congressional District.

Why are you the best candidate among those seeking this office?

We need leaders who will stand for the rule of law. Our region is experiencing an uptick in violence and crime as a direct result of early-release and sanctuary policies. We cannot continue down this dangerous path, and I’ll continue fighting to hold government officials accountable when they disregard the laws of our nation. Additionally, as the only candidate with military combat experience, I’m uniquely positioned to understand the needs of our men and women in uniform and the dangers they face. I stand with our military and law enforcement personnel.

In general, what is your political philosophy and what, if any, political figures, living or dead, do you most closely identify with?

I’m a conservative, but first and foremost I’m an American. We live in a time where we need elected representatives who have the ability to bring together a fractious and divided America. I often look to Abraham Lincoln and how he was able to accomplish so much in such a short amount of time. In one of the darkest periods of American history, he was able to keep our great nation from tearing at the seams. Lincoln is undoubtedly the greatest statesman to ever serve as President. Although the challenges we face today pale in comparison to those during the Civil War, our need for pragmatic and principled leadership remains.

I also believe that Western democracy and free-market solutions have done more to promote human liberty than any other forms of governance. It’s imperative that America does as much as it can to promote these ideas throughout the globe.

As a conservative, I’m supportive of limited government because it is the most effective at protecting our rights and freedoms.

What are the top issues facing your district and how do you intend to address them?

Increasing crime rates continue to plague our communities – the direct result of “soft on crime” policies coming out of Sacramento and of the past presidential administration. Specifically, early release of criminals from state prisons and sanctuary laws have made it extremely difficult for our local law enforcement agencies to do their jobs. I support using all facets of the federal government to force California to comply with federal law on criminals and illegal “sanctuary” policies. I’ll continue to work with local officials to direct federal resources to law enforcement programs that mitigate the damage caused by the politicians in Sacramento. We can’t allow the out-of-touch state Legislature to be unaccountable.

While providing more resources to local law enforcement is an important piece to solving the crime problem, we must also improve our border security. This is an undertaking of the federal government, and I support efforts to construct a southern border wall. Our state and country can no longer sustain the devastating effects associated with unchecked illegal border crossings. Every first-world nation enforces immigration laws, and the United States should be no different.

The local economy is also of great importance. While many parts of our country have recovered from the Great Recession, the economic recovery in the High Desert hasn’t been as fast-paced. We can expedite our economic recovery by allowing taxpayers and businesses to keep more of their earnings. That’s why I was proud to vote for the recently enacted federal tax cuts, which decreased personal and business income taxes and will result in lower tax bills for over 91 percent of tax filers in my district. As we’ve already seen, American businesses are expanding and consumer confidence is at an all-time high. These are the real ingredients for growing an economy, not a new government program.

Part of improving the economy of the 8th Congressional District must also include improving our infrastructure. This is one critical area where I believe government must play a significant role. We cannot attract new businesses if our roads and highways are unable to handle the increased usage. There is a lot of potential as it relates to logistics and the movement of goods and materials, as I-10 and I-15 bisect the district. However, many of the roads and highways that connect to these two transit arteries are insufficient to handle increased capacity. I’ll continue to work with local officials and our regional transportation agencies to find ways to fund infrastructure projects that are in dire need. The first two that come to mind are highways 395 and 247.

Identifying funding for infrastructure projects is just as important as streamlining the permitting process to construct improvements. It’s appalling how long and costly it can be to obtain the necessary permits. In some cases, it takes over a decade, which is completely unacceptable. There are discussions underway between the administration and Congress on ways to reduce the red tape and bureaucracy that is the chief obstacle to fixing our infrastructure.

TIM DONNELLY

Age: 52

Resides: Twin Peaks

Occupation: Author/consultant, former assemblyman, and manufacturing business owner

Party: Republican

Campaign website: Donnelly4Congress.com

Endorsements: Former Maricopa County (Ariz.) sheriff Joe Arpaio; John Kobylt of the “John and Ken” radio show.

Why are you running for this office?

When our natural God-given rights guaranteed by the First and Second Amendments are under assault, our representative should speak out. What’s worse than his silence is his record: By voting to allow our military funds to be used for sex-change surgeries, he voted against our strong military heritage in the 8th Congressional District.

Why are you the best candidate among those seeking this office?

What we need is someone who understands what’s at stake – and has enough energy to engage the battle. As a business owner, I know first-hand the crushing burden of over-regulation and over-taxation. I took action when it was clear politicians in both parties were content to leave our borders wide open after 9/11. Founding the largest Minuteman group in California, I leveraged the media to pressure the federal government into doing its job. A decade after I built a wall in protest on the border – daring the federal government to arrest me – we’ve elected a president to finish the job.

In general, what is your political philosophy and what, if any, political figures, living or dead, do you most closely identify with?

I’m a hardcore American patriot – who happens to be a Republican. First and foremost, I’m a Christian and a Constitutionalist.

I believe the founders intended the Constitution to severely limit government’s power over our lives, and as a representative, I have and will always push to shrink the role of government, never expand it.

The federal government should be involved only in those duties enumerated specifically in the US Constitution – such as securing the border – the rest being left to the states and the people.

The political figure I most closely identify with is President Trump – because he’s an outsider who took on the political establishment in both parties, promising to ‘build the wall’ and ‘drain the swamp’ – and he won.

What are the top issues facing your district and how do you intend to address them?

In its current form, I believe the government – which was formed to protect our God-given, inalienable rights – has become the greatest threat to them.

As your representative, I would use the bully pulpit to expose the corruption and abuses and would craft legislation to stamp out both.

Priorities:

1. Fixing Immigration

A. Border Security:

Securing the border and end the illegal invasion of our country by any and all means necessary.

Build the wall.

Defund sanctuary cities.

End birthright citizenship.

Enforce immigration law.

No amnesty, period.

B. Immigration Reform:

Put interests of American people first.

Remove ‘Family re-unification’ clause.

Halt immigration from terror-sponsoring nations, and increase immigration from strongest allies.

Penalize countries by restricting immigration from countries who encourage their citizens to violate our borders.

2. Taking Care of our Veterans

Reform the VA so that our veterans are treated better than illegal aliens.

Keep our promises to all those who’ve served in the military.

Prioritize funding for national defense/veterans’ care over entitlement spending.

3. Defending the Second Amendment without apology.

4. Lowering Taxes

Taxes are too high. I will oppose all new taxes, fees, entitlements and expansions of government – and use the bully pulpit to fight the unfair car and gas tax that hurts the working poor the most.

5. Reforming Education

Defund Common Core and restore local control, including school choice for all to create competition and improve outcomes.

6. Repealing every last vestige of Obamacare, period

Get the government out of healthcare.

Allow for competition across state lines for ALL insurance, and let the free market bring down costs.

Cut off any and all federal funding including matching funds for any state or local program that gives free healthcare to illegal aliens.

7. Opposing all unconstitutional land grabs by the EPA, BLM, and any other agency of the federal government

For more information, please go to Donnelly4Congress.com or call or text Tim directly at 760-933-8460. Godspeed.

MARGE DOYLE

Age: 61

Resides: Joshua Tree

Occupation: vice president of operations and clinical services, Pamorris Healthcare Solutions; board vice president, Morongo Basin Healthcare District.

Party: Democrat

Campaign website: www.margedoyleforcongress.com

Endorsements: Sierra Club, Equality California, Teamsters Local 1932, California Democratic Party, IBEW Local 477

Why are you the best candidate among those seeking this office?

As a registered nurse/community activist for nearly four decades, I understand the multitude of social and economic health/well-being issues in my district.

Having worked across the aisle to save the only rural hospital along with 600 jobs and averting bankruptcy with $15 million in reserves, I have demonstrated a track record of success as a problem solver with a practical approach. No other candidates have achieved this.

As a High Desert resident, I will fight to protect and preserve our pristine and irreplaceable public lands that are tied to our world-renowned tourism economy and thousands of jobs.

In general, what is your political philosophy and what, if any, political figures, living or dead, do you most closely identify with?

People are more important than politics is my political philosophy. Shaped by those who sacrificed and suffered to pave the way for me to stand as a candidate for elected office, addressing the needs of people is not only a priority, but also my primary responsibility as an elected representative.

Although there are many political figures that I greatly admire, the one person that helped me develop my political philosophy and the one that I most closely identify with is my mother who came from an immigrant family. Growing up in a new country without her family, my mother experienced the challenges of adapting to a new culture, learning a new language and experiencing a different way of life combined with financial hardships as her family worked hard to achieve the American dream.

She was open to learning new ways of life and embraced formidable challenges as she raised four successful children. The challenges that my mother experienced would have been greatly reduced had those in power and decision-making roles shared my political philosophy that people are more important than politics.

What are the top issues facing your district and how do you intend to address them?

The top issues facing the 8th district, which is home to millions of acres of pristine public lands that provide tens of thousands of jobs and sustain our tourism economy, include the need for expanded education and trade school opportunities, ensuring everyone has access to health care, protect Social Security, Medicare and veteran benefits, and improvements in our infrastructure to bring new businesses to the district and grow our economy which will result in new living wage jobs.

Every working American pays into Social Security and Medicare and neither are tied to our national debt as Congress has led us to believe. Our seniors deserve the security of knowing that their lifelong contributions out of their paychecks through hard work will be returned to them as promised.

Working with the four-year college system to bring online courses and satellite campuses into the district will provide the next generation access to quality education which is the key to living wage jobs and economic growth. To increase vocational and trade school opportunities, I will work with the existing training/apprentice programs in high schools, community colleges, and unions to expand access and scholarships for those who would rather learn a trade.

As a nurse, I know the consequences of not having access to health care and that one health crisis can result in bankruptcy, homelessness and even death. We have 10 examples worldwide of healthcare systems in industrialized nations that bring better outcomes at lower costs while covering everyone. The U.S. spends between 5 to 7 percent more of our GDP on health care and has the worst outcomes of all developed nations.

We must move to universal coverage in order to preserve individual health and our economic futures. The U.S. is the only country in the developed world that does not negotiate pharmaceutical prices. I believe that it is time for the industrialized nations to share the burden of research and development costs of new medications for treatment and cure of disease.

All of our veterans deserve our highest respect and gratitude as well as the health care and education they have been promised for the sacrifices they’ve made to ensure the freedoms we enjoy. I have proposed that federally regulated health clinics be included within the Veterans Administration system. This budget neutral proposal would nearly double access for veterans seeking health care and minimize their need to travel long distances to receive the care they deserve.

Our district is home to the largest U.S. military training center in the world and a critical buffer to that center is the Mohave Trails National Monument. We cannot afford to risk our military readiness and training by shrinking this monument for the benefit of corporations who disregard the importance of our national security.

As I have stated throughout my campaign, I will work together with public, private and community-based leaders to not only address the serious issues that our district faces, but seek viable solutions that will ensure a long-term sustainable economic future.

RONALD O’DONNELL

Resides: Highland

Occupation: Author on how to fight a home foreclosure

Party: Democrat

Campaign website: www.foreclosureammunition.com

O’Donnell did not respond.

RITA RAMIREZ

Occupation: Retired college professor

Party: Democrat

Campaign website: drrita4congress.com

Ramirez did not respond.