Jose Hernandez

Party: Democrat
State: California
What you need to know: Hernandez is running for Congress in California’s newly drawn 10th Congressional District.

Democrat - Challenger
Endorsed by Council for a Livable World

Jose Hernandez was born to Mexican immigrants in French Camp, California and has spent most of his life in northern San Joaquin Valley. Jose and his family were migrant farm workers, following the harvest in the Valley. At age 9, Jose was inspired by the Apollo 17 mission to the Moon and was encouraged by his father to pursue his dream of one day traveling to space.

He was not fluent in English until the age of 12, but Hernandez maintained an unwavering commitment to his education. He obtained his Bachelor’s Degree in Electrical Engineering from the University of the Pacific and a Master’s Degree in Engineering from the University of California-Santa Barbara. He then served as an engineer at the prestigious Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory for 15 years.

In his time at Livermore, Jose was recognized for his work helping develop the first full-field digital mammography imaging system, which has successfully increased early detection of breast cancer. He also worked extensively on nuclear non-proliferation issues. Hernandez worked to verify that uranium sent from Russia to the United States as part of the Nunn-Lugar program was formerly weapons grade uranium that had been downgraded to be unsuited for weapons usage. He also worked on programs that worked to keep dangerous nuclear materials out of the hands of terrorists.

Hernandez has continued to champion the cause of nuclear nonproliferation. He supports President Obama’s vision of a nuclear weapons free world and ratification of the Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban Treaty. He also believes the U.S. should refrain from putting weapons into Space and should seek an international ban on weapons in Space.

In 2004, Hernandez reached his lifelong goal of becoming a NASA astronaut, and in August of 2009 he flew on a 14-day mission as the flight engineer on Space Shuttle Discovery’s mission to the International Space Station. After returning from Space, Jose worked for NASA in Washington. He also started the “Reaching for the Stars Foundation” which sponsors an early education summer academy program at his alma mater.

Now Hernandez is running for Congress in California’s newly drawn 10th Congressional District. His opponent is Rep. Jeff Denham. While Denham is an incumbent, he has served only one term and most of his current district is not included in the new district. Considered a leader in the class of Tea Party freshman elected in 2010, Denham is not a good fit for the new district, which slightly favored President Obama in 2008. In his first term in office, Denham has voted against withdrawal from Afghanistan, for funding for expensive Cold War era weapons systems and against funding for the United Nations.

This election will be a high priority for both Republicans and Democrats. Already, Republicans unsuccessfully sued to stop Hernandez from listing his profession as astronaut on the election ballot because he is not a current employee of NASA. You can help Hernandez fight back against these dirty tricks by making a check out to Jose Hernandez for Congress and mailing it to Council for a Livable World or by donating online by clicking the donate button on this page.

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