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Former NFL punter Chris Kluwe — an outspoken Democrat who has compared the MAGA agenda to Nazism — may not be quite the underdog some would have expected while running for a state Assembly seat out of deep-red Huntington Beach.

Kluwe wasarrested in February 2025 during a City Council meeting for protesting the installation of a MAGA plaqueat a public library, but he appears to be seeing a surge in support for Orange County’s Assembly seat — not just because of his opposition to President Trump, but also his candid criticism of career politicians on the left.

“I’m running as a Democrat, but I have my issues with the Democratic Party,” Kluwe told The Post in an exclusive interview.

“If what we were doing was working, then we wouldn’t be in this position.”

Kluwe, a formerMinnesota Vikings punterwho accused the team of releasing him in 2013 forhis support for gay marriage, graded Gov. Gavin Newsom’s time in office as a C+ to B-, saying the governor has consistently kowtowed to big tech.

“He’s pushed for a lot of good things for people, but at the same time, it’s very clear he’s also been beholden to powerful corporate interests. He’s backed down on issues, particularly artificial intelligence issues … because he’s making a presidential run and he wants Silicon Valley’s money.”

Kluwe has raised more than $351,000 overall, outpacing Republican Huntington Beach Councilwoman Gracey Van Der Mark’s of $279,000 and former Republican Assemblyman Matthew Harper’s $217,555, according to campaign records.

Kluwe is betting he can survive the top-two primary because the Republican vote could split between Van Harper and Van Der Mark, the latter of whom scored the state GOP endorsement despitepast associations with the Proud Boys and posting a Youtube playlist titled “Holocaust hoax?”

“I am fully cognizant of the registration numbers of the district, and it does lean Republican by like seven or eight points by registration,” Kluwe said. “But the thing is, I grew up in this district.

Source: California Post – Breaking California News, Photos & Videos