After working a half-century in TV newsroom executive positions, including 20 years as news director at San Diego’s KUSI-TV, the 79-year-old Steve Cohen last March accepted an invitation from local Republican Party officials to run for Congress in California’s 50th Congressional District.
“I’m no politician, but I’ve spent my entire career covering politicians and holding them accountable,” Cohen told Times of San Diego. “Sure, I could be taking walks on the beach, but I would prefer to be in the game, having a dialogue, discussing issues.
“I’ve watched what’s been happening in our country from behind the camera, and I still have gas left in my tank. I have strong opinions on how to change and disrupt the status quo.”
In the June 2 primary election, Cohen was the top Republican vote-getter candidate. He won the opportunity to run against longtime incumbent Scott Peters, a Democrat, who has served in Congress for 13 years and is currently in his seventh term.
With roughly 475,000 voters in the District, according to the California Secretary of State, registered Democrats outnumber Republicans by nearly a 2 to 1 margin.
“For the past eight months, all I’ve heard is that I have no chance to win,” Cohen said. “It’s a different experience to run in a district considered as noncompetitive. No large donations from super PACs, no big-dollar contributions. I’m left to making phone calls and doing the best reaching out to people I know.
“Everybody thinks I’m going to lose except me. But 85,000 people voted for me in the primary. That’s the biggest number for any Republican challenger in many years. So, I have a base of support.”
Two endorsements from influential political organizations have given Cohen hope, he said: the California Republican Party and Reform California, a political organization founded by Carl DeMaio.
“That means my name has appeared on all their literature and flyers, which has been a huge boast to my campaign,” Cohen said. “But, the most depressing aspect of running for public office has been how the local news media has already decided the winner and loser.”
Recently, Cohen distributed a press release announcing that he was hosting a press conference at the County Registrar’s Office. No member of the news media showed-up.
“That was bittersweet,” Cohen said. “Here, I was ready to talk about the issues and no one was there to listen. But, it empowered me to keep knocking on doors, making phone calls and talking to voters.”
With a few days remaining until the Nov. 3 general election, Cohen said running for Congress has been a terrific experience.
“Overall, it’s been a positive personal experience and a great way to share my goals and dreams, but I’m still optimistic about the outcome,” he said. “There were moments when I’ve been surprised and other times it was what I was expecting.”
The 50th Congressional District covers the cities and communities of La Jolla, Carmel Valley, Point Loma, Coronado, downtown San Diego, Poway and portions of San Marcos and Escondido.
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San Diego’s OAN hires new national political correspondent
America News Network (OAN), a San Diego-based, international cable TV news channel, has announced Carrie Sheffield, with extensive experience in political journalism, public policy and economics, has joined the network as a national political correspondent.
Her first major assignment will take her to Dallas, where she will report live from Republican Senate candidate Ken Paxton’s election-night headquarters as he faces Democrat James Talarico in one of the nation’s most closely watched U.S. Senate contests. She will provide OAN viewers with firsthand reporting, election results and analysis through Election Day and into the evening, a statement said.
“I’m thrilled to join One America News at such a consequential moment in our country’s history,” said Sheffield. “Americans deserve journalism that asks tough questions, holds powerful institutions accountable and takes voters’ concerns seriously. I’m especially excited to be on the ground in Texas, bringing viewers firsthand coverage of a race with potentially significant implications for the balance of power in Washington.”
Sheffield brings a diverse background spanning broadcast journalism, economic policy, technology and public affairs.
She previously covered Congress for The Hill newspaper and was a founding reporter at Politico. She won a Robert Novak Journalism Fellowship and contributed on political economy at Forbes and wrote editorials for The Washington Times.
Sheffield’s work has been published in The Wall Street Journal, Time, USA Today, CNN Opinion, The New York Times, The Washington Post, CNBC, National Review, The D.C. Examiner, Newsweek, HuffPost and Daily Caller.
She has previously joined as a live broadcast guest on media several networks including Fox News Channel, Newsmax, Fox Business Network, MSNBC, CNN, PBS and the BBC.
She also previously served as a credit analyst at Goldman Sachs and bond analyst at Moody’s Investors Service and held positions with leading Washington policy organizations. A graduate of Brigham Young University, Sheffield earned a master’s degree in public policy from Harvard University and completed a Fulbright fellowship in Berlin.
She is also the author of “Motorhome Prophecies: A Journal of Healing and Forgiveness,” published by Hachette Book Group, which chronicles her journey from a childhood marked by poverty and adversity to a successful career. She is an award-winning musician who sings and plays classical violin and piano for events nationwide, including for the White House great American State Fair.
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MarketInk honored with first-place San Diego Press Club writing award
Times of San Diego’s “MarketInk,” a weekly marketing and media column covering trends and news in the news media, marketing, advertising, branding and creative industries, was honored with a first-place writing award at the recent San Diego Press Club’s Excellence in Journalism awards program.
The column was recognized in the “Online and Daily Newspapers” division, “Column, Light Subject” category.
The judges added a comment to the award: “Good columns about media personalities, their health challenges and their longevity in the community. The columns have a conversational voice.”
Among the column story headlines that were entered:
- “San Diego media personalities say they’re forever changed by cancer”
- “New CNN anchor is former San Diego TV reporter”
- “50 continuous years on San Diego airwaves for radio-TV personality Mark Larson”
- “KPBS’ loss of $4.3 million in taxpayer funding means another fundraising campaign”
- “SD County Fair wields record $1.3 million ad budget for 2026 season”
- “Super Bowl TV commercials featured patriotism, AI, weight-loss drugs”
- “Growing up, she ate at Jack in the Box. Now she’s their lead marketer”
The Press Club entry said, “From breaking agency news and newsroom developments to branding trends, creative campaigns and leadership changes, the column consistently delivers original, relevant journalism that informs professionals, celebrates innovation and provides valuable historical documentation of the region’s media and marketing community.”
The column, now in its 11th year, is posted on Monday mornings.
Rick Griffin is a San Diego-based public relations and marketing consultant. His MarketInk column appears weekly in Times of San Diego.
