Kate Sills Announces Candidacy for CD-5 Congressional Race
Kate Sills of Sonora, CA has announced her candidacy for US Congress, CA-05, against incumbant representative Tom McClintock.
Kate is a third-generation farmer and software engineer. Sonora has been her home since 2021, and unlike Tom McClintock, she lives in the district! She grew up on the organic family farm just north of Sacramento, and graduated from UC Berkeley with multiple degrees, including Computer Science. She worked in DC, then came back to the farm and architected and implemented a multi-million dollar inventory system for tracking grains and beans through the mill. She brought the farm up to the highest food safety standards, making the family business competitive even with big corporations. In her own right as a software engineer, she is an expert at the intersection of computer science and law, speaking at Stanford University, Dartmouth College, University of Miami School of Law, and in Australia, London, New York City, and San Francisco. Outside of work, she is focused on her community. She became a Tuolumne County master gardener, edited and published a group anthology as Chair of the Sonora Writers Group, is the lead singer of a traditional country band, and for the past year was co-leader of Tuolumne County Indivisible, organizing the No Kings protest and canvassing for Prop 50.
Candidate Statement
Hi, I’m Kate Sills, and I’m running for Congress in California’s Fifth District against Tom McClintock.
I’m running for my community. I’ve seen grocery prices rise due to Trump’s illegal tariffs. I’ve heard our rural hospitals say they are at risk of bankruptcy and closure due to the brutal cuts in Trump’s budget bill. I’ve seen our tourism industry suffer due to the Trump administration driving off international visitors.
I’m running for the basic rights of immigrants to America. I grew up in farm country, and my friends and classmates were the children of immigrants. The rural Catholic church my grandfather helped build was strengthened by Mexican-American immigrants. When I was growing up, Christmas and Easter Masses were bilingual in both Spanish and English. Now people who resemble my childhood friends are being terrorized, taken off the streets, and put in detention centers.
I’m running for my brother. My brother is in the Navy, and the Trump administration is betraying our service members, ordering the Navy to carry out unlawful orders that have no legal justification. And when Democratic members of Congress simply recite the law, Trump has called for them to be hanged and punished by death.
I’m not afraid of a tyrant. When the President of the United States calls for the hanging of members of Congress, it’s not politics as usual. Our district deserves a fierce advocate in Congress. Our district deserves someone who works hard, who stands up for what is right, no matter what the cost.
If elected, I pledge to hold in-person town halls during every single congressional recess, because I want to hear from my constituents. I pledge to explain every vote I take. I believe issues such as keeping our rural hospitals open, tariffs, and basic affordability cut across party lines, but even if we disagree on an issue, I want you to know exactly where I stand and I want to hear from you.
I want to represent you and your family and your neighbors. We can win this race, but it will take all of us. Join us today and thank you for considering making a donation and volunteering at katesills.com
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