Republican congressional candidate Mike Garcia joined KHTS After Hours News Director Michael Brown for an on-air interview Monday morning to discuss his position on a number of topics ranging from healthcare to immigration.

Garcia, who served as a fighter pilot in the United States Navy, said he bases his views on three core components: the Constitution, capitalism and competition.

“From there, on any given issue, you can pretty much anchor your opinions on that issue to one of those things, even two or three of those things,” Garcia said.

A Santa Clarita native, Garica lived in Saugus when he was six years old in 1983. From there, he graduated from the U.S. Naval Academy, where he served as a fighter pilot for nearly 20 years. He later moved back to Santa Clarita with his wife and family in 2009.

“This a continuation of my natural desire to serve my country,” Garcia said. “I just don’t want what’s happened to my state to happen to my nation.”

Garcia further elaborated that his decision to run was based on what he perceived as a “shift to the far left” in the U.S. House of Representatives.

“That is going to be dangerous to our district,” Garcia said. “The incumbent right now in this district is part of that problem.”

During the second quarter of 2019, Garcia led the Republican candidates in fundraising, raising over $250,000. However, slightly less than half of that total came from a loan he took out for the campaign.

“From where I come from, it’s hard to ask people to do something if you yourself aren’t willing to do it as well,” Garcia said. “I wanted to make sure that my supporters and my donors and those endorsing me knew that I had skin in the game.”

From there, Garcia discussed a wide variety of topics, including healthcare, immigration and education.

“I’m not a politician,” Garcia said. “I’m just trying to do the right thing for my nation.”

To hear the full interview, watch the video by clicking here.