Anthony Adams, former GOP Assemblyman of Hesperia, has announced his plans to run as an Independent for California's 8th Congressional District.
In 2009, Adams was estranged from the Republican Party for supporting a state budget that raised taxes, even after he had made a pledge to never vote for tax hikes. State GOP leaders attempted to recall Adams but they failed to get enough signatures to make the ballot.
“I dare with the full knowledge that this will probably be the end of a political career for me,” stated Adams on his vote in 2009, “but the fact of the matter is California is in a place where they need people who are willing to sacrifice their own personal agenda for what's right.”
According to a statement released by his campaign on Monday, Adams says his candidacy will not pander to partisan extremes. It will, he says, appeal to the base of both parties.
“As a member of the State Legislature I reached across the aisle when it was in the best interests of our State,” his statement continues. “I never compromised my principles and I never will as the Congressman from the 8th Congressional District.”
Adams served as Assemblyman to California's 59th district from 2006 to 2010. He did not seek reelection, opting instead to focus his attention on passing the California Bar exam. Prior to his election, he served as director of legislative affairs for San Bernardino County. Adams was named by the San Bernadino County Board of Education and the California State Firefighters Association as Legislator of the Year.
Adams is one of several candidates vying to represent the newly created 8th Congressional District, which spans California's High Desert and parts of the Eastern Sierra region (including portions of Mono and Inyo counties). He must contend with six Republicans and, so far, one Democrat in the race.