Boudreaux: “Boots on the ground” experience necessary for 20th Congressional District

Tulare County Sheriff Mike Boudreaux has long been a figure in local politics and took his involvement a step further with his bid for the 20th Congressional District as he hopes to succeed Speaker Emeritus Kevin McCarthy. 

Boudreaux spoke with The Sun for political podcast series, The Stump, airing on Sunrise FM. 

The big picture: Boudreaux got his start in law enforcement at the age of 19, following in his father’s footsteps to join the Tulare County Sheriff’s Office as a cadet. 

• He rose through the ranks and was appointed acting sheriff by the Tulare County Board of Supervisors in 2013 and was elected by Tulare County voters as sheriff in 2014. That was followed up by successful re-election campaigns in 2018 and 2022. 
• Working as sheriff is far from his only law enforcement experience. Boudreaux is the chairman of the Central Valley High Intensity Drug Trafficking Areas program. 
• He also graduated from the Los Angeles Police Department’s WestPoint Leadership Academy and from the FBI National Academy in Quantico, Virginia. 

What they’re saying: “I have been boots on the ground for the last 37 years working with the people of the Central Valley, working with the people of this district,” Boudreaux said. “When it comes to what we’re facing in this country, even at the energy levels or water issues, I work with our agricultural community very directly. And so there’s many things that I bring. But most importantly what I bring is far above any of the other candidates – the experience of being in the trenches.” 

• When asked about the border crisis, Boudreaux said the answer starts with President Joe Biden being removed from office. 
• “He needs to step down, be impeached or voted out,” Boudreaux said. “He is a detriment to this country. He has endangered the safety of the people who live here – Americans and as well as people up and down the Central Valley. All across this country we have millions of people coming across that border that we don’t know who they are. We have people literally living in the shadows all across this country because we don’t know who they are.”