Abel Chavez

[{"question": "Ballotpedia survey responses", "answer_html": "<p>See also: <a href=\"/Ballotpedia%27s_Candidate_Connection\">Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection</a></p>\n<div class=\"row\"><div class=\"col-xs-10 col-md-6 col-xs-offset-1 col-md-offset-3\"><p><a href=\"https://ballotpedia.org/Ballotpedia%27s_Candidate_Connection\"><img align=\"middle\" alt=\"Candidate Connection\" src=\"https://cdn.ballotpedia.org/images/8/88/Candidate_Connection_Logo.png\" width=\"90%\"/></a></p></div></div>\n<p>Abel Chavez completed <a href=\"/Ballotpedia%27s_Candidate_Connection\">Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection</a> survey in 2026. The survey questions appear in bold and are followed by Chavez's responses.</p>\n<p><span class=\"expand-all\">Expand all</span> | <span class=\"collapse-all\">Collapse all</span></p>\n<div aria-multiselectable=\"true\" class=\"panel-group\" id=\"accordion\" role=\"tablist\"><div class=\"panel panel-default\"><div class=\"panel-heading\" data-toggle=\"collapse\" href=\"#collapse-bio-388740-2026-04-01\" id=\"heading-bio-388740-2026-04-01\" role=\"tab\"><p class=\"panel-title\" style=\"font-size: 14px;font-weight: 600;\"><a aria-controls=\"collapse-bio-388740-2026-04-01\" aria-expanded=\"false\" class=\"collapsed\" data-parent=\"#accordion\" data-toggle=\"collapse\" href=\"#collapse-bio-388740-2026-04-01\" role=\"button\"><i class=\"fa fa-chevron-right pull-right\"></i><i class=\"fa fa-chevron-down pull-right\"></i>\t\t\t\tWho are you? Tell us about yourself.\t\t\t</a></p></div><div aria-labelledby=\"heading-bio-388740-2026-04-01\" class=\"panel-collapse collapse\" id=\"collapse-bio-388740-2026-04-01\" role=\"tabpanel\"><div class=\"panel-body\" style=\"max-height: 500px; overflow-y: scroll;\"><div class=\"answers-container\"><span style=\"font-size: 14px;\">\t\t\t\tMy name is Abel Chavez, and I’m a former teacher, school board member, small business owner, son of hardworking immigrants, and father of three. I grew up in Riverside County, where I lived with my two siblings in a one-bedroom trailer. Determined to overcome my circumstances, I excelled academically –– earning a B.A. in Biology and an M.A. in Education. \r\nAs a chemistry and physics teacher, I saw bright kids slipping through the cracks –– so I ran for school board. We flipped a red seat, a conservative board elected me president, and together we secured $30 million and increased test scores more than any other district in Riverside County. I know I can make a bigger difference in Congress.\t\t\t</span></div></div></div></div><div class=\"panel panel-default\"><div class=\"panel-heading\" data-toggle=\"collapse\" href=\"#collapse-key-message-388740-2026-04-01\" id=\"heading-key-message-388740-2026-04-01\" role=\"tab\"><p class=\"panel-title\" style=\"font-size: 14px;font-weight: 600;\"><a aria-controls=\"collapse-key-message-388740-2026-04-01\" aria-expanded=\"false\" class=\"collapsed\" data-parent=\"#accordion\" data-toggle=\"collapse\" href=\"#collapse-key-message-388740-2026-04-01\" role=\"button\"><i class=\"fa fa-chevron-right pull-right\"></i><i class=\"fa fa-chevron-down pull-right\"></i>\t\t\t\tPlease list below 3 key messages of your campaign. What are the main points you want voters to remember about your goals for your time in office?\t\t\t</a></p></div><div aria-labelledby=\"heading-key-message-388740-2026-04-01\" class=\"panel-collapse collapse\" id=\"collapse-key-message-388740-2026-04-01\" role=\"tabpanel\"><div class=\"panel-body\" style=\"max-height: 500px; overflow-y: scroll;\"><div class=\"answers-container\"><span style=\"font-size: 14px;\"><ul><li>Empowering students: As a former teacher, one of my top priorities is elevating our public education system to unlock every student’s potential. Marginalized students are often left behind or funnelled into the school-to-prison pipeline. For those who graduate high school, the price tag is staggering –– leaving college graduates saddled with hefty student loans and poor job prospects. At the same time, students who choose not to pursue college deserve access to hands-on, career-focused pathways, such as: trade schools, paid internships, apprenticeships, and mentorships with local employers. If elected to Congress, I look forward to expanding investments in education and on-campus resources to ensure all students have a chance to succeed.</li><li>Growing our economy: All Americans should be able to attain the American Dream. Given my background as a small business owner, I look forward to forming partnerships with small and medium businesses so they can reach beyond our district ––– all while bringing new wealth back home. In addition, I plan to collaborate with labor unions to engage in collective bargaining agreements, hold corporations accountable for wage theft, and pass legislation that strengthens workers rights, raises the wage floor, improves working conditions, and increases benefits across the board. These policies will not only empower millions of middle-class workers across America in the short-term; they will also create long term economic stability and growth.</li><li>Supporting immigrants: Reforming immigration and combating ICE is a top priority of mine. I believe we need to modernize our immigration system to offer more work visas, expedite legal pathways, fix backlogs by hiring judges, and reunite families faster. People shouldn’t live in fear over a petty offense from years ago or for simply showing up at a court hearing. Everyone deserves due process, and no one should be swept off the street or locked in a cage for seeking a better life. As a Congressman, I would not only fight to institute these reforms, but also push to limit ICE’s authority and prosecute ICE agents for violently assaulting and unlawfully detaining immigrants and their allies.</li></ul></span></div></div></div></div><div class=\"panel panel-default\"><div class=\"panel-heading\" data-toggle=\"collapse\" href=\"#collapse1-388740-2026-04-01\" id=\"heading1-388740-2026-04-01\" role=\"tab\"><p class=\"panel-title\" style=\"font-size: 14px;font-weight: 600;\"><a aria-controls=\"collapse1-388740-2026-04-01\" aria-expanded=\"false\" class=\"collapsed\" data-parent=\"#accordion\" data-toggle=\"collapse\" href=\"#collapse1-388740-2026-04-01\" role=\"button\"><i class=\"fa fa-chevron-right pull-right\"></i><i class=\"fa fa-chevron-down pull-right\"></i>\t\t\t\tWhat areas of public policy are you personally passionate about?\t\t\t</a></p></div><div aria-labelledby=\"heading1-388740-2026-04-01\" class=\"panel-collapse collapse\" id=\"collapse1-388740-2026-04-01\" role=\"tabpanel\"><div class=\"panel-body\" style=\"max-height: 500px; overflow-y: scroll;\"><div class=\"answers-container\"><span style=\"font-size: 14px;\">\t\t\t\tAside from empowering students, supporting immigrants, and growing our economy, there are a number of public policy issues that I’m personally passionate about. <br/>\r\nMedicare for all, protect veterans, create housing for the unhoused, take corporations out of our elections, modernize our infrastructure, increase safety in schools, enact sensible gun regulation, codify reproductive freedom, and cease funding wars that cost trillions of dollars and claim hundreds of thousands of lives. I’m running to represent working-class citizens, not corporations.\t\t\t</span></div></div></div></div><div class=\"panel panel-default\"><div class=\"panel-heading\" data-toggle=\"collapse\" href=\"#collapse2-388740-2026-04-01\" id=\"heading2-388740-2026-04-01\" role=\"tab\"><p class=\"panel-title\" style=\"font-size: 14px;font-weight: 600;\"><a aria-controls=\"collapse2-388740-2026-04-01\" aria-expanded=\"false\" class=\"collapsed\" data-parent=\"#accordion\" data-toggle=\"collapse\" href=\"#collapse2-388740-2026-04-01\" role=\"button\"><i class=\"fa fa-chevron-right pull-right\"></i><i class=\"fa fa-chevron-down pull-right\"></i>\t\t\t\tWhat organizations or individuals have endorsed your campaign?\t\t\t</a></p></div><div aria-labelledby=\"heading2-388740-2026-04-01\" class=\"panel-collapse collapse\" id=\"collapse2-388740-2026-04-01\" role=\"tabpanel\"><div class=\"panel-body\" style=\"max-height: 500px; overflow-y: scroll;\"><div class=\"answers-container\"><span style=\"font-size: 14px;\">\t\t\t\tRiverside County Young Democrats, National Association of Letter Carriers, Political Integrity PAC, Progressive Victory PAC of California, Riverside County Supervisor Yxstian Gutierrez, Young Democrats President Edgar Castelan, Riverside City Budget Engagement Commissioner Aram Arya, immigration attorney and Oliver Ma, former City Councilmember and Mayor of Tustin Dr. Letitia Clark, San Diego Water Board President Suzanne Till, Mayor of Banning Colleen Wallace, Perris City Councilmember Elizabeth Vallejo, School board members Dr. Angelo Farooq, Sammie luna, Member Justin Jackson, Nancy Young, Steven Schwartz, President of Unite Here Local 11 Ada Briceno, and President of CAPE Lisa Andre\t\t\t</span></div></div></div></div></div>\n<div class=\"small\" data-nosnippet=\"\"><p><i><b>Note:</b> Ballotpedia reserves the right to edit Candidate Connection survey responses. Any edits made by Ballotpedia will be clearly marked with [brackets] for the public. If the candidate disagrees with an edit, he or she may request the full removal of the survey response from Ballotpedia.org. Ballotpedia does not edit or correct typographical errors unless the candidate's campaign requests it.</i></p></div>", "answer_text": "See also: Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection\n\nAbel Chavez completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2026. The survey questions appear in bold and are followed by Chavez's responses.\nExpand all | Collapse all\nWho are you? Tell us about yourself. My name is Abel Chavez, and I’m a former teacher, school board member, small business owner, son of hardworking immigrants, and father of three. I grew up in Riverside County, where I lived with my two siblings in a one-bedroom trailer. Determined to overcome my circumstances, I excelled academically –– earning a B.A. in Biology and an M.A. in Education. \r\nAs a chemistry and physics teacher, I saw bright kids slipping through the cracks –– so I ran for school board. We flipped a red seat, a conservative board elected me president, and together we secured $30 million and increased test scores more than any other district in Riverside County. I know I can make a bigger difference in Congress. Please list below 3 key messages of your campaign. What are the main points you want voters to remember about your goals for your time in office? Empowering students: As a former teacher, one of my top priorities is elevating our public education system to unlock every student’s potential. Marginalized students are often left behind or funnelled into the school-to-prison pipeline. For those who graduate high school, the price tag is staggering –– leaving college graduates saddled with hefty student loans and poor job prospects. At the same time, students who choose not to pursue college deserve access to hands-on, career-focused pathways, such as: trade schools, paid internships, apprenticeships, and mentorships with local employers. If elected to Congress, I look forward to expanding investments in education and on-campus resources to ensure all students have a chance to succeed. Growing our economy: All Americans should be able to attain the American Dream. Given my background as a small business owner, I look forward to forming partnerships with small and medium businesses so they can reach beyond our district ––– all while bringing new wealth back home. In addition, I plan to collaborate with labor unions to engage in collective bargaining agreements, hold corporations accountable for wage theft, and pass legislation that strengthens workers rights, raises the wage floor, improves working conditions, and increases benefits across the board. These policies will not only empower millions of middle-class workers across America in the short-term; they will also create long term economic stability and growth. Supporting immigrants: Reforming immigration and combating ICE is a top priority of mine. I believe we need to modernize our immigration system to offer more work visas, expedite legal pathways, fix backlogs by hiring judges, and reunite families faster. People shouldn’t live in fear over a petty offense from years ago or for simply showing up at a court hearing. Everyone deserves due process, and no one should be swept off the street or locked in a cage for seeking a better life. As a Congressman, I would not only fight to institute these reforms, but also push to limit ICE’s authority and prosecute ICE agents for violently assaulting and unlawfully detaining immigrants and their allies. What areas of public policy are you personally passionate about? Aside from empowering students, supporting immigrants, and growing our economy, there are a number of public policy issues that I’m personally passionate about. Medicare for all, protect veterans, create housing for the unhoused, take corporations out of our elections, modernize our infrastructure, increase safety in schools, enact sensible gun regulation, codify reproductive freedom, and cease funding wars that cost trillions of dollars and claim hundreds of thousands of lives. I’m running to represent working-class citizens, not corporations. What organizations or individuals have endorsed your campaign? Riverside County Young Democrats, National Association of Letter Carriers, Political Integrity PAC, Progressive Victory PAC of California, Riverside County Supervisor Yxstian Gutierrez, Young Democrats President Edgar Castelan, Riverside City Budget Engagement Commissioner Aram Arya, immigration attorney and Oliver Ma, former City Councilmember and Mayor of Tustin Dr. Letitia Clark, San Diego Water Board President Suzanne Till, Mayor of Banning Colleen Wallace, Perris City Councilmember Elizabeth Vallejo, School board members Dr. Angelo Farooq, Sammie luna, Member Justin Jackson, Nancy Young, Steven Schwartz, President of Unite Here Local 11 Ada Briceno, and President of CAPE Lisa Andre\nNote: Ballotpedia reserves the right to edit Candidate Connection survey responses. Any edits made by Ballotpedia will be clearly marked with [brackets] for the public. If the candidate disagrees with an edit, he or she may request the full removal of the survey response from Ballotpedia.org. Ballotpedia does not edit or correct typographical errors unless the candidate's campaign requests it."}]