Another physician enters the race against Rep. Scott Peters

Oct. 18--Another Republican has entered the race against incumbent Rep. Scott Peters.

Dr. Jeff Cullen said his experiences as a internist and his previous career as a civil engineer give him the expertise to overhaul the country's health-care system and to champion infrastructure improvements, the two biggest issues of his campaign.

"What I want to continue to do, in Congress, is to continue to be a patient advocate," said Cullen, 62.

Cullen is the fourth Republican to enter the race, and third physician vying to represent a district that includes the heart of the region's biotechnology industry. Omar Qudrat, Dr. James Veltmeyer, Daniel Casara, and Michael Allman are running as Republicans. Dr. Daniel Miller is running as a Democrat. Peters, a San Diego Democrat and former president of the San Diego City Council, has been in Congress since 2013.

While many GOP members of Congress have pushed for a complete repeal of the Affordable Care Act, Cullen said that there are aspects of former President Obama's signature healthcare law that he supports, including protections for people with pre-existing conditions, allowing children to stay on their parents health plans until they turn 26 and expanded Medicare coverage.

He said he believes that the individual mandate that requires people to have health insurance should be replaced with a tax incentive to encourage people to enroll or for companies to provide their employees with plans.

"I think there are a lot of things we do well, but there are a number of things we can do better," Cullen said.

He said he became frustrated with Congress over the past nine months after members failed to reach a deal on a health-care bill that would better serve patients.

Cullen, who lives in La Jolla, came to San Diego from Chicago about three years ago and worked for a Veterans Affairs clinic in East County. A former civil engineer, he said he changed careers after he realized he gained more satisfaction from his volunteer work at a hospital than his day job at an engineering firm.

He announced his campaign at a news conference on Wednesday at the Town and Country Convention Center in Mission Valley. It was attended by his family and one reporter.

"There's a lot of work ahead for us," he said.

Twitter: @jptstewart

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