Hunter Miranda is a Democratic candidate seeking to represent California’s 47th District. This sparked my interest because Hunter is challenging Dave Min, an incumbent, with a political career and backing from the DNC. Hunter is also one of the youngest candidates to campaign for a seat in the California House. We arranged an interview, and we discussed his political ambitions, motivations, and how he would represent the people in his generation who feel their votes and voices have no power.
I became aware of Hunter Miranda through his legal work with the Navajo Nation through a family connection. We launched into the issues, but first, Hunter shared about his background and motivations for public service.
I am a proud 5th generation Californian born and raised in Orange County, and I am very grateful to have benefited from California's public education system.
I come from a military family, my father served in Vietnam, my brother in Iraq, my grandfathers in Korea and WWII, as well as many other members of my family, all of which instilled the importance of public service in me. To try and give back to my communities that gave me so much.
Hunter acknowledges the challenges of campaigning against another Democrat and claims that donors and money in politics are often what determine elections.
When we launched our campaign, we were kind of persona non grata in the sense that we were challenging an incumbent Democrat and challenging the Democratic policies overall.
The key is to really follow the money, and if you look back into who's actually supporting these major political parties, it ultimately comes down to the wealthiest and the most powerful.
According to Ballotpedia, in 2024, Wesley Bell and George Latimer were the only Democrats to unseat Democratic House Incumbents. This is because party donors suppress competition within their party and fund incumbents as the safest strategy to keep seats.
Dave Min supports issues like affordable housing and business development. However, Miranda contends that the incumbent runs on “blanket statements” and has not reformed policies that have shown to be “ineffective or inefficient.”
The ultimate problem comes down to the fact that the current policies of the Democratic Party, specifically with economic reform, don't do nearly enough to solve those root causes that are actually, you know, causing people to be stuck in systems of poverty, being unable to have economic mobility and social mobility.
Miranda currently works as an immigration attorney in a “pro bono capacity.” He shared his concerns about the treatment of immigrants in detention centers and mentioned the Laken Riley Act.
The Laken Riley Act requires mandatory detention of illegal immigrants and immigrants who are arrested for crimes such as theft or shoplifting. This legislation will overflow our detention centers, which are operating at overcapacity, and increase the time spent in detention to months or years before detainees receive their hearing.
Rep. Min voted to pass the Laken Riley Act. Hunter said,
The incumbent also voted to thank ICE in a House Resolution during the ICE raids being conducted in LA and our very own county, Orange County.
He provides examples because he believes that voters want to hear about specific policies, not “slogans,” or “anti-MAGA” rhetoric. I asked him if he thinks that, not Republicans, but the MAGA movement, which supported Trump in 2016, wanted these more specific policies.
I think that in that instance, it was mostly change and rhetoric-oriented—that most people were just excited for something different. It was an alternative to what they saw in both the Republican and the Democratic parties as the quote-unquote establishment system. And that's why people turned to him.
Polls from this time align with the perspective that Trump's popularity stemmed from wanting change and relied less on policies. For example, in an early 2016 GALLUP poll, Republicans listed their primary reasons for supporting Trump as him being an “outsider,” “businessman,” and “outspoken.”
Hunter said Democrats should learn from this, course correct, and “talk with people directly… not talk down to people.”
I questioned him about whether voters are right in some sense, and their representatives are no longer accountable to their interests. For example, over the last decade in Congress, the mean data shows a much more dramatic shift in alignment, with further-left policies, than the votes would represent. Americans may not know the data offhand, but I think they still feel this disconnect.
A lot of people see it as a choice between the lesser of two evils, right?
However, there are candidates all across the country that are popping up, that are kind of part of this new wave of Democrats wanting to change things. And I think this is a really pivotal moment. Honestly, I genuinely think this is a moment in not just American history, but in global history.
Dave Min and Hunter Miranda have filed to run in the 47th District, and the primary date is still officially pending.
Luke Harris is an op-ed author who writes about the US, UK, and international politics, policy, and culture. He has been published in outlets like the North American Anglican and the Conservative Woman.
