Democratic congressional candidate Ammar Campa-Najjar was working on a TV advertisement to boost his exposure when news broke that his opponent, the heavily favored Republican US Representative Duncan Hunter, was indicted. The 29-year-old former Obama administration Labor Department official whose father is a Palestinian Muslim and mother a Mexican-American Catholic has never held elected office. In Hunter, hes taking on a widely known Iraq war veteran who coasted through the June primary in the most Republican district in Southern California with a 30-point, first-place finish after serving five terms, said The Associated Press. With the indictment, Campa-Najjar suddenly found himself thrust in the spotlight — fielding calls throughout the night from the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee, supporters, even some local Republican elected officials. Within 24 hours, he received hundreds of emails and gave nearly two dozen interviews to local and national media outlets. It was the attention, he said, his campaign deserved. After months of knocking on doors, Campa-Najjar is seizing the opportunity to re-introduce himself to voters in the 50th District, many of whom are not familiar with his name. "Were excited," Campa-Najjar said in an interview with the AP. "I dont crow over the misery of other people. I feel for him and his family, but I feel more for the people of our district who deserve some much-needed representation after many years of not having a real representative." The Hunter name is something of a political dynasty in the area. Hunters father was elected to the seat in 1980 and held it until his son won in 2008. But the indictment of Hunter and his wife Margaret that alleges they illegally converted his campaign account into a household checkbook reorders his re-election contest, giving Democrats a suddenly stronger hand in a district that for decades has embraced Republican candidates. The Hunters pleaded not guilty Thursday. Campa-Najjar said he was hopeful of breaking the Hunter familys nearly 40-year hold on the district that runs largely east of coastal San Diego, abutting Camp Pendleton Marine Corps base and stretches toward a remote area near the US-Mexico border. Campa-Najjar vows to reach people who had voted for President Barack Obama in 2008 and eight years later backed Donald Trump. He said "they are not ignorant. They are ignored, by my party, their party and the country." He said he offers "sensible solutions" that cross party lines, including Medicare-for-all if it does not increase government debt and free college tuition based on merit and need. He does not believe in abolishing the Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency like some liberal candidates. Campa-Najjar, who lives in Jamul near the US-Mexico border, says walls are not the answer when 40 percent of those entering the US illegally come by plane and overstay their visas. He supports tougher fines for employers who break immigration laws and believes that immigrants who were brought to the United States as children should be given US citizenship. Campa-Najjar said his motivation for running is personal. His mother, who divorced his father when he was 8 and raised Campa-Najjar and his brother, did not have the support she should have from the government, said the AP. At 15, he worked as a janitor to help her pay the bills. Born in San Diego County, Campa-Najjar spent part of his childhood in Gaza and is fluent in Spanish and Arabic. Campa-Najjar said he is proud of his heritage but is American first. He has made clear that he has no personal connection to his grandfather, who was the member of a Palestinian group and orchestrated an attack in the early 1970s that killed 11 Israeli athletes at the 1972 Olympic Games in Munich. He never met his grandfather, who was killed by Israeli commandos 16 years before Campa-Najjar was born. "Im happy to take responsibility for my own choices and my own decisions," he said. "I think other men are responsible for their own crimes, whether its somebody who I share a lineage with and nothing else, or a sitting congressman whose being indicted and could be facing serious charges in the future. " About a third of the district is Latino and it is also home to one of the largest Iraqi Chaldean populations in the United States. One of Campa-Najjar campaign offices is in the city of El Cajon east of San Diego, near a business district with falafel shops, taco stands and signs in Arabic, English and Spanish, reflecting the districts changing demographics as immigrants and refugees have settled there, reported the AP. It is in a dilapidated home with yellow tape around the front porch. On a recent day on the door, a paper sign under Campa-Najjars portrait on a red white and blue poster told visitors to knock on the back door. Campa-Najjars campaign has been a grassroots operation that until now has largely gone unnoticed as Democrats have concentrated on other districts believed to be more vulnerable for Republicans. The Republican party holds a nearly 15-point registration edge over Democrats, and President Donald Trump won the district by the same margin while losing statewide by more than 4 million votes in 2016. But that changed this week. "Im getting a lot of support as you can imagine," he said.