Entrepreneur and former White House aide Denise Gitsham has picked up endorsements from two local business leaders and another city council member in her bid to unseat Democratic Rep. Scott Peters.
Over the past two days, former San Diego Regional Chamber of Commerce CEOs Jessie Knight Jr. and Ruben Barrales, and City Councilman Chris Cate, have added their endorsements of Gitsham, a Republican who is making her first run for elected office.
“Denise has spent her entire career supporting pro-growth policies,” said Knight, former CEO of San Diego Gas & Electric. “As the daughter of Chinese and Canadian immigrants who were small business owners, and a business owner herself, she knows first hand how rewarding and exhilarating it is to be a net contributor to our local economy.”
Knight was joined by Barrales, who said Gitsham “knows first-hand the challenges that entrepreneurs face and is the best voice for San Diego’s business community.”
Cate added his support to that of council members Scott Sherman and Mark Kersey. Though the council is a non-partisan office, all three men are Republicans.
“San Diego deserves a powerful voice in Congress who will advocate on behalf of San Diego’s economy,” said Cate. “Denise understands the importance of empowering our region’s companies so that they can create more jobs and strengthen our innovation economy.”
Peters is seeking this third term in Congress representing the 52nd District, which includes Coronado, La Jolla, much of the city of San Diego, and Poway.
The San Diego chamber endorsed him in August, and in the last election, he was one of the few Democrats endorsed by the U.S. Chamber of Commerce.
Gitsham also faces two other Republicans, Mira Mesa community leader John Horst and Jacquie Atkinson, a Marine Corps combat veteran and wounded warrior.
