MEET THE CANDIDATE | Ben Savage for Congress

West Hollywood resident and millennial TV legend Ben Savage kicked off a campaign this week to represent his city and all of California’s 30th Congressional District on Capitol Hill next year with an interview on Good Morning America.

You are best known as an actor, but you studied political science at Stanford University and even interned for the late Senator Arlen Specter. You also ran for city council in West Hollywood as recently as last year. So, tell us, what got you interested in politics?

It’s a great question. You know, I grew up in a household that was very passionate about politics. From a very young age, that was instilled upon us as children. I grew up in a household that revered RFK, that revered JFK. When I first started running for politics, my mom gave me her John F. Kennedy button that she used to wear in elementary school, and I have that in my house now. And I think it was just always instilled in us to stand up for our community and our country and try to do the right thing on behalf of our community. So that’s been instilled in me. I’m very passionate about politics. I studied it in college, and I’m really looking forward to giving back to the community and standing up for what I think is right.

And you said that it’s time to run because you want to restore faith in government by offering reasonable, innovative, and compassionate solutions to our country’s most pressing issues. So what do you believe are some of those issues, and what are your plans to resolve them?

Great question. I’ve heard you say this on this show before, but it’s about doing good and doing the right thing. So, of course, issues like housing, homelessness, healthcare are very important and near and dear to my heart, but it’s really about changing the tone. I think there’s a negativity in Washington, D.C. that we need to address. We need to bring more young people into the political process. We need to increase civility. We need to work on getting things done in Washington, D.C. And we need to be a more solutions-based government, and prominently and preeminently, we need to restore faith in government, which I think is lacking right now.

Specifically, California’s 30th is a very diverse district. You have large Hispanic and Asian American communities. How do you plan, if you are representing all of the district, to represent them all in Washington?

Great question. And I think, again, it’s about bringing people together. I’ve always been associated with art projects and entertainment industry that are usually focused around themes of bringing people together, inspiring passion, and encouraging people to do good. So that’s very near and dear to my heart. And really, to be honest, I’m a minority myself, and I take great issue with the rise of the anti-Semitism that’s going on in this country, and it costs this country. And I think that that, too, is something that needs to be addressed. But again, for me, it’s about bringing people together and bringing young, passionate, energetic leaders to the table that are really focused on solutions and bringing people together.

How will you address crime in that area?

That’s a great question. And again, I think that’s an all-hands-on-deck approach, and there is no silver bullet answer to that. Of course, it’s about supporting our sheriff’s department and making sure that they have the proper resources and funding that they need. But it’s also about investing in clinical health services and mental health programs in low-income housing and affordable housing to ensure that people who are experiencing homelessness have more opportunities, including job training and mental health services. So I think we really need to bring the best and the brightest to the table and come up with real solutions rather than trying to make this a black or white issue or suggesting that there is no single answer.