February 7, 2018 Costa Mesa, CA— California District 48 will host its first Congressional debate on February 7, 2018.  The debate is part of a series of four debates hosted by Indivisible OC-48 and partner organisations before the 2018 Congressional Primaries on June 5, 2018.

The Debate on Women’s Issues is co-hosted by WAVE (Women for American Values and Ethics), Planned Parenthood Generation Action at OCC, and The Community Action Fund of Planned Parenthood Orange & San Bernardino Counties.  It will take place at the Robert B. Moore Theater at Orange Coast College at 7:00pm on February 7, 2018. At this first of four topical debates in this exciting and informative series, the discussion will focus on topics related to women’s issues. The top four candidates (and 5th alternate, if Rep. Rohrabacher declines to attend) have been selected using the Voter Support Score (VSS). Sara Lowell, a lead organiser for Indivisible OC 48 says, “The VSS is as accurate a reflection of how much support a candidate has from within the voter base as you can get, without spending thousands of dollars on polling, which we know can be wrong, or actual voting. You can really see through the score, which candidates really went out there and worked hard to connect to voters.” The top scorers on the VSS were in order: Harley Rouda, Hans Kiersted, Omar Siddiqui, and Laura Oatman – with Michael Koctick placing as the 5th place alternate. For the Women’s Issue Debate, candidates Laura Oatman, and Rachel Payne were extended automatic invitations regardless of their voter support score.

The six candidates will examine and debate a variety of issues, such as women’s health, the wage and achievement gap, affordable child care and parental leave, reproductive rights, and sexual harassment and the #MeToo Movement.

“With the primaries just 90 days away, it’s imperative for voters from the 48th district to learn as much as they can about where their candidates stand on issues of vital importance to them,” said WAVE founder and President Joanna Weiss, who will serve as the debate’s moderator. “Particularly at this watershed moment in history, when issues around women’s rights and empowerment are in the forefront of American discourse and women are engaging in politics at an unprecedented level, this will be a significant opportunity for the candidates to share their positions on culture and policy with potential constituents.”

#Great48Debate #48Debate #SheIsTheSpark

CONTACT: Aaron McCall, (626) 485-4898