Primary Election Date: 06/05/2012
General Election Date: 11/06/2012

Who Am I?

The story of David Cruz Thayne is only possible in America. In 1969, his mother, searching for a better future than that promised by a textile factory in Uruguay, immigrated to the United States. His parents instilled in him the lessons they had learned through their own humble beginnings, which David never forgot. Often, his father would wake him up before school and David would help him clean kitchens at the local country club in order to support the family. Thayne continued his hard work in high school and excelled at sports, specifically tennis winning more tournaments in high school than any other player in Utah’s history. Foregoing offers to play in college, Thayne decided to join the professional tennis tour. Traveling around the world gave Thayne an opportunity to see parts of the world that had been ravaged by poverty, images he would never forget. Most importantly, he was continually amazed at the warmth and humility of the people of Latin America, reminding him of the values his mother taught him.
After witnessing the extreme poverty of Latin America and Asia, Thayne returned to Utah with a desire to enter politics, but he was a Democrat in a largely Republican state. Not discouraged, he began volunteering on campaigns and was quickly promoted into leadership positions, including campaign manager and Chief of Staff for Utah’s Senate Minority Leader.
Where most would have been content working in Utah politics, David continued to challenge himself. In 1998, David and his high school sweetheart Katie, along with their son Cruz, moved to Southern California with nothing but the belief that with enough hard work, success would come: it was the same attitude that brought his mother to the United States in 1969.
Upon arriving in this beautiful area, David quickly landed a coaching position at the local tennis club. Since then, David produced two award-winning documentaries, grew his private teaching practice into a thriving small business and raised a family of four. Achieving a level of success beyond his mother’s hopes, David Cruz Thayne does not want to stop. The reason is a belief in a better tomorrow; a tomorrow we can be proud to hand to our children. It is the reason his mother left the floor of the textile factory. It is the reason his father woke him up early in the morning to clean kitchens. It is the reason Thayne is running for the 26th Congressional District Seat in California.

Why Am I Running?

In the past decade incumbent congressmen running for reelection returned to Congress at a rate well over 90 percent. Even in 2010 which the New York Times and others noted for its “anti-incumbent rage,” 85% of House incumbents were reelected. Indeed, the power of incumbency has created a permanent political class.
As a result, this oligarchic class of lawmakers reads about the struggles of ordinary Americans but never feels or understands the pains of the real economy. While the average American’s net worth declined 8 percent over the past six years, members of Congress, on average, became 15 percent richer. Now, millionaires make up nearly half of Congress and their wealth continues to accumulate with little threat to their job security.
This political cronyism is precisely what I am fighting against in my run for Congress. I am the only one in this race—Democrat or Republican—who is not a career politician and doesn't already have a public pension (many other candidates have 3 or more). I am the only one in this race who wakes up every morning worrying about putting food on the table for my family. And I am the only one who truly understands what working people are going through in this country. I do not have the fundraising network or the name recognition as my opponents—all of whom have occupied government jobs for over a decade—because I do not believe political office is or ever was meant to be a career. In fact, as the father of a 3-month year old child, I remember an old Will Rogers joke that politicians, like diapers, have to be changed frequently—and for the same reason.

Hold Me Accountable!

First and foremost, I want to get Americans back to work by investing in a 21st century infrastructure, simplifying the tax code, and making it easier for small businesses to compete with large corporations. My second priority will be to pass a comprehensive immigration bill that will provide a path to citizenship to those currently residing in our country undocumented.

My DFA values:

I believe that demonstrating your commitment to your community should be done every day and not just around election time. I am on the board or my local homeless shelter, I have a wonderful family that I love more than anything, and I speak fluent Spanish to try and interact with all members of my Southern California community.

My Campaign is People-Powered!

Not only have we established a strong presence through social networking tools, but we spend most of our time out in the communities, going to city council meetings, and meeting people who have not been activists their entire lives. We are bringing fresh voters and fresh perspectives into the political process. Many politicians get into a bunker mentality and spend all their time around activists they agree with but our campaign is about engaging communities.