Meet the Gloriously Awkward State Assembly Candidate Michael Hunsweck

Michael Hunsweck has little chance of winning a State Assembly seat, but he’s already won his way into Fly’s heart with his first on-camera campaign video.

Michael Hunsweck won’t apologize for his politics, which is great, because the neoconservative could be a YouTube celebrity if he keeps it up. A candidate in next year’s race for State Assembly District 28—which includes west San Jose, Cupertino, Campbell, Saratoga, Los Gatos and Monte Sereno—Hunsweck will face off with Campbell Mayor Evan Low and Cupertino Councilman Barry Chang. It’s unclear if the field to replace Assemblyman Paul Fong will grow more crowded—Ken Yeager, president of the county Board of Supervisors, already pulled out of the race earlier this year—but one thing is certain: Hunsweck has a deliciously awkward style all his own. In his first on-camera campaign video, posted to his website and Facebook page (10 likes as of press time), our protagonist displays the swagger of a man who is trying to make love to the camera but doesn’t exactly seem sure the thing is on. Among his top priorities are “defending the unborn” and, in a parlance all his own, “Championing … Limited … Government.” Conservative voices don’t get a lot of play in Bay Area politics, but according to one right-winger in local elected office, Hunsweck is “everything that’s wrong with (Republican) candidates in one guy.” Excited yet? For those who will miss Fong’s representation, his absence could be brief. Word is the assemblyman is in escrow for a house in San Jose’s District 1, which would allow him to run for the seat of termed-out Councilman and 2014 mayoral candidate Pete Constant.

The Fly is the valley’s longest running political column, written by Metro Silicon Valley staff, to provide a behind-the-scenes look at local politics. Fly accepts anonymous tips.

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