Duncan D. Hunter

Duncan Duane Hunter (born December 7, 1976) is a member of the United States House of Representatives. He has served in Congress since 2009, previously representing CA's 52nd congressional district, where he was preceded in office by his father, Duncan Lee Hunter. As a result of redistricting, Hunter switched to the neighboring 50th district at the start of the 113th Congress in 2013. Hunter is a member of the Republican Study Committee, as his father was.

Hunter is a member of the Republican Party, and his district covers almost all of San Diego County except for the coastal and border areas. Hunter's district includes Fallbrook, San Marcos, Valley Center, Escondido, Santee, Lakeside, and mountain and desert areas stretching to the Imperial County line.

Hunter is a reserve United States Marine Corps officer and a veteran of both the Iraq War and the War in Afghanistan. He is one of seven members of the U.S. Congress who have served in either Iraq or Afghanistan and was the first combat veteran of either conflict to serve in the Congress.

Early life, education, and business career
Hunter was born in San Diego, California, the son of Lynne and Duncan Lee Hunter. He graduated from Granite Hills High School in El Cajon, California. He attended San Diego State University, where he earned a degree in Business Administration. Hunter started a web design company in college to help pay for tuition. Upon graduation from San Diego State, he worked full-time in San Diego as an information technology business analyst.

Military service
The day after the September 11 attacks, Hunter quit his job and joined the U.S. Marine Corps. He attended Officer Candidates School at Marine Corps Base Quantico. Upon graduation in March 2002, was commissioned as a second lieutenant. He subsequently served as a field artillery officer in the 1st Marine Division after the 2003 invasion of Iraq and completed a second tour in Fallujah, Iraq, in 2004, serving in Battery A, 1st Battalion, 11th Marines. During his second tour, he participated in Operation Vigilant Resolve. In September 2005, Hunter was honorably discharged from active duty but remained in the Marine Corps Reserve. He then started a residential development company. In 2007, he was recalled to active duty and deployed to Afghanistan in support of the War in Afghanistan; this was his third tour of duty during the War on Terrorism. Hunter was honorably discharged from active duty in December 2007, but continues to serve in the Marine Corps Reserve. Hunter was promoted to major in 2012.

Hunter's awards include:

Elections

 * 2008

Hunter ran for his father's seat and won the Republican primary with 72.2% of the vote in a four candidate field. In the general election, Hunter defeated Democratic nominee Mike Lumpkin, an Iraq War veteran, 56.4%-39%. Hunter thus replaced his father, Congressman Duncan L. Hunter (R-Calif.), who retired from Congress after fourteen terms.


 * 2010

He won re-election to a second term with 63.1% of the vote, defeating Ray Lutz and Michael Benoit.


 * 2012

After redistricting, Hunter decided to run in the newly redrawn California's 50th congressional district. In the five-candidate open primary field, Hunter ranked first with 67.4% of the vote; Democrat David Secor ranked second with 16.8% of the vote, qualifying for the November election. In the general election, Hunter defeated Secor 67.7%-32.3%.

Tenure
Like his father, Hunter's voting record has been conservative. In a 2009 interview with KPBS, Hunter expressed support for "overriding" the designation of smelt fish as an endangered species in order to reduce unemployment in California. Hunter also opposed the Health Care and Education Reconciliation Act of 2010, saying that it would "take away" the doctor-patient relationship, the right for people to choose "what type of operations they have," and that it would allow a "government bureaucrat" to make health care decisions for people. In the KPBS interview, Hunter said, "Things that you have problems with now would be exacerbated if you had government run healthcare."

At an April 2010 Tea Party movement rally in Ramona, California, Hunter advocated for the deportation of United States citizens who are the children of illegal immigrants. At the rally, Hunter said, "It's a complex issue and...you could look and say, 'You're a mean guy. That's a mean thing to do. That's not a humanitarian thing to do.' " Hunter added, "We simply cannot afford what we're doing right now. We just can't afford it. California's going under." Hunter confirmed the comments to San Diego County's North County Times, telling the newspaper that he also supported House Resolution 1868, a measure that called for the elimination of birthright citizenship in the United States. Hunter has also expressed support for the controversial 2010 Arizona immigration law, calling it a national security issue and "a fantastic starting point."

In July 2010, Hunter introduced legislation into the 111th Congress to allow tobacco products to be shipped to service members serving in Iraq and Afghanistan; the legislation died after being referred to committee.

Hunter opposed the repeal of Don't Ask, Don't Tell, and advocated for delaying the repeal after it was ratified by U.S. President Barack Obama. In 2011, Hunter introduced legislation to require that all "four military service chiefs certify that the repeal of Don't Ask Don't Tell won't negatively affect their combat units."

In 2011, Hunter voted for the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2012.

Columnist Dan Murtaugh of the Press-Register has suggested that Hunter's 2011 call to rebid the littoral combat ship program is an attempt to get federal funds for a shipyard in his district. Hunter returned to the LCS program in 2012, with a call to reduce LCS builds in favor of amphibious ships because he had read a report that the Marines had leased a ferry with simiular characteristics to the LCS and JHSV. Hunter has called the United States Navy, in 2013, overworked and spread thin, and says that a "306-ship target might represent the absolute minimum capacity the navy needs".

As a member of the House Armed Services Committee and a combat veteran, Hunter has called for the system of awarding the Medal of Honor to be evaluated due to the cases of Sergeant Rafael Peralta and Captain William D. Swenson.

In 2011, Hunter opposed a complete withdrawal of American forces from Afghanistan, citing the concern of an "unreliable Afghan leadership" and called upon the Obama Administration to "stop echoing a misshapen worldview that puts American interests last." In October 2012, Hunter returned from his visit to Afghanistan, as part of a congressional delegation, with a more upbeat assessment stating "Frankly I was very skeptical last year when I went last and have been on whether [the Afghans] can do this, but they are."

In 2013, Hunter accused the nation's military leaders of theatrics in the cuts that resulted from the failure of Congress to come to a deal to avert sequestration. He listed targeted spending reductions that he would prefer to make instead of the across the board cuts. Hunter also voiced his concern regarding potential different standards for women and men for the same direct combat positions, following the Obama administration to allow women to serve in those positions.

On July 24, 2013, Hunter voted against the Amash amendment to rein in the domestic surveillance conducted by the NSA.

In October 2013 Hunter was the only Representative from San Diego County to vote against the bill which ended the nation's 16-day partial government shutdown, explaining that he voted against it because it did not reduce spending or the national debt.

On December 4, 2013, Hunter commented that if war with Iran becomes inevitable, which he "sure as hell" hoped wouldn't happen, the American response should be a "massive aerial bombing campaign" including "tactical nuclear devices". He also said that the culture of Middle Easterners made them unreliable negotiating partners.

Committee assignments

 * Committee on Armed Services
 * Subcommittee on Seapower and Projection Forces
 * Subcommittee on Emerging Threats and Capabilities
 * Committee on Education and the Workforce
 * Subcommittee on Early Childhood, Elementary and Secondary Education (Chairman)
 * Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure
 * Subcommittee on Coast Guard and Maritime Transportation (Chairman)

Personal life
Hunter, his wife Margaret, and their three children have lived in Lakeside, California since 2007; he has previously lived in Oklahoma, Virginia and Idaho.