California State Senate District 2 candidate surveys, 2022

Elections in California, 2022

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This article shows responses from candidates in the 2022 election for California State Senate District 2 who completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey.

• Click here to see candidates and election results.
• Click here to see Candidate Connection survey responses.

Candidates and election results

General election

General election for California State Senate District 2

Incumbent Mike McGuire defeated Gene Yoon in the general election for California State Senate District 2 on November 8, 2022.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Mike McGuire (D)	73.3	283,689
		Gene Yoon (R)	26.7	103,333

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	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 387,022
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey responses

Ballotpedia asks all federal, state, and local candidates to complete a survey and share what motivates them on political and personal levels. The section below shows responses from candidates in this race who completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey. Candidates are asked three required questions for this survey, but they may answer additional optional questions as well.

Survey responses from candidates in this race

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Note: Ballotpedia reserves the right to edit Candidate Connection survey responses. Any edits made by Ballotpedia will be clearly marked with [brackets] for the public. If the candidate disagrees with an edit, he or she may request the full removal of the survey response from Ballotpedia.org. Ballotpedia does not edit or correct typographical errors unless the candidate's campaign requests it.

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Please list below 3 key messages of your campaign. What are the main points you want voters to remember about your goals for your time in office?

Gene Yoon (R)

Bring Back Civics: We must teach our children and ourselves about our civic duties.

Stop State Graft: Politicians should not be allowed to accept donations from organizations that do business with the government.

Put People First: Powerful tech companies have gone too far - it's time to put humans ahead of technology.

What areas of public policy are you personally passionate about?

Gene Yoon (R)

I'm passionate about having a political system that is based on facts, qualifications, and the real-world experience of just Getting Stuff Done. Like everyone in this state, I'm concerned about wildfire, water, education, housing, crime, energy, and the economy. But although we all care about the same things, we never seem to get results. Our politicians seem to think that success is about announcing a new program or yet another study of a complex problem. I have a lifetime of work in some of the most difficult and impactful jobs in technology, and now I'd like to bring that expertise to work for people rather than for companies.

Who do you look up to? Whose example would you like to follow, and why?

Gene Yoon (R)

In politics, Dwight Eisenhower is my favorite President because he was simply an extremely competent person who got the job done without fuss or ego. He had already accomplished so much before he got into office - saving the free world - that he was probably the only U.S. President who was not at first overwhelmed by the demands of the office.

In art and life, I admire Michel de Montaigne, the 16th-century philosopher. He made a career in law and politics before retiring to the country in late middle age, where he spent the rest of his life writing. His essays are still read today, hundreds of years later, largely because he invented the form of writing that today we call an "essay."

And finally, I look up to Bruce Springsteen, because I'm from Jersey and he's the Boss. I can't help it.

What characteristics or principles are most important for an elected official?

Gene Yoon (R)

I think it all comes down to integrity. I think elected officials are pulled in a thousand different directions every day. If you don't have integrity, then you'll make decisions based on which way the wind is blowing (or the money is flowing) that day. In order to really do great things over time, you have to have real integrity to believe what you say, say what you do, and do what you believe.

What qualities do you possess that you believe would make you a successful officeholder?

Gene Yoon (R)

I'm an extremely focused and competent person who loves to do the hard jobs that other people are afraid to take on. I loved working in startups because every job was so different, and so hard.

Nobody thought we needed WiFi in offices until Airespace, a company I helped from incubation all the way to sale to Cisco. Nobody knew what the metaverse was until Linden Lab showed the world Second Life, an example that even today Facebook is trying to follow. Nobody wanted the job of fixing Google's ad policy problems, for which they got fined $500 million, until I took it on and fixed it. I didn't have experience in any of those fields until I jumped in and just got stuff done with relentless effort.

I don't have recent experience in politics, so I relish the idea of just jumping in and attacking the worst problems - just like I've done in every job I've ever loved. The harder it is, the more I love to tackle it.

What is the first historical event that happened in your lifetime that you remember? How old were you at the time?

Gene Yoon (R)

In 1976, it was our country's bicentennial - even though I was only 6 years old, I vividly remember the American flags everywhere. The '70s were not a great time for the USA, with two oil shocks, a presidential resignation, and a hostage crisis in Iran. But I remember that July as a time of great pride and togetherness and optimism for our future despite all the problems. Four years from now, 2026 will be the 250th anniversary of our Declaration of Independence! I know that our country and our world don't seem in great shape right now, but I believe we will once again stand united in our goals for this nation.

What was your very first job? How long did you have it?

Gene Yoon (R)

I was a waiter working for a caterer - I was the guy walking around the crowd passing out trays of food. After all this time, now that I'm running for office, I'll have to admit that yes I would sometimes go back to the kitchen with an item left on my tray, scarfing it down just before I walked into the kitchen. It haunts my conscience to this day!

What do you perceive to be your state's greatest challenges over the next decade?

Gene Yoon (R)

I believe that our biggest challenges are simply delivering on the many promises that our government has made. This state has an execution problem - we have a lot of good programs, good ideas, good people. But year after year after year, our problems just keep getting worse. All the good things just go to waste when we can't deliver on basic execution. Our problems have become enormous - wildfires, drought, homelessness, crime, vast income inequality. I've been working in this state for 23 years, and every year these problems have gotten worse. We need to concentrate on competency and high-quality delivery of the services that our government keeps promising to the people.

Do you believe that it’s beneficial for state legislators to have previous experience in government or politics?

Gene Yoon (R)

I think that it's beneficial for state legislators to have significant experience with law and policy - but you can get this experience in the world outside of government as well. Most of the law that's conducted in this country happens outside of government. Companies affect policies just as much, or more, than politicians do. Government experience can be helpful, but it's also important to have broad experience in the real world.

Are you interested in running for a different political office (for example, the U.S. Congress or governor) in the future?

Gene Yoon (R)

I'm entering politics at a relatively late age, and at this point in my life I have neither the time nor interest in running for U.S. Congress - from the looks of what's going on there these days, I don't think I'd enjoy it and I doubt I could have a positive impact. I like state government better than federal government, as I think state government is more important in our daily lives. I love the district that I'm running in, and I've only got eyes for this district. Maybe if I do this job well enough, people will want me to run for governor - but personally, it's hard for me to look that far ahead. I like to just focus on the job in front of me.

Tell us your favorite joke.

Gene Yoon (R)

Guy walks into a bar, puts a duffel bag on the bar and lets out a heavy sigh. Bartender asks, "What'll you have?"

"I'll have a glass of whiskey for me, and a thimble full for my friend here." He unzips the duffel bag, takes out a miniature piano, sets it on the bar. He reaches in again and gently takes out a doll - but it's not a doll! It's a real live gentleman, about a foot tall, wearing a tux with tails. The little guy sits down at the piano and starts playing a sonata.

"Amazing!" says the bartender, "but how ..."

Guy reaches into the bag again, takes out a lamp that looks just like the one in Aladdin. "There's a problem," he starts to explain, but the bartender eagerly snatches the magic lamp, rubs it, and makes a wish:

"I wish I had a million bucks!!" he yells.

QUACK QUACK QUACK. The bar is suddenly filled with ducks, flapping and feathers everywhere.

"What is this?? I didn't wish for a million ducks!!" the bartender cries.

The guy says: "Do you think I wished for a 12-inch pianist?"

[ok - I'm sorry that's maybe inappropriate for some audiences. but you asked me a question, so I'm going to answer it honestly. the other questions were boring.]

See also

More about these elections:

• California State Senate elections, 2022

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