[3] Growing up in post 9/11 America, Ammar felt he was not "Arab enough in Gaza, Latino enough for the barrio, or American enough in my own country.
"[8] Ammar wondered if America would accept someone of diverse heritage, saying in the Los Angeles Times “In 2008, the country said, ‘Yes, we can,’ and elected this skinny brown guy with a funny name.
The siblings were separated over the following years with Yasser attending school in England before immigrating to the US and obtaining American citizenship.
In 1994, Yasser traveled to Gaza to work for the newly legitimized Palestinian National Authority and explore his family's roots.
[16] In February 2018, a book published by Ronen Bergman, Rise and Kill First, challenged the historical assumption that those targeted in Operation Wrath of God were actually behind the Munich massacre.
"[8] In 2017, The Hill published another op ed by Campa-Najjar where he advocated for enhanced vetting and the empowerment of moderate Muslims to help end terrorism.
[28][29][30] Campa-Najjar cited the call to service in Barack Obama's farewell address as an inspiration to run for Congress.
[32] Campa-Najjar advocated for registering young people to vote, especially those who would be 18 by 2018, because they would be on the receiving end of climate change and increasing levels of indebtedness.
[34] On February 2, 2018, The San Diego Union-Tribune reported that Campa-Najjar had out-raised both the Republican incumbent, Duncan D. Hunter, and his Democratic rival, Josh Butner.
[38] During the contest, the Hunter campaign ran an ad in which it claimed that Campa-Najjar had received support from the Council on American–Islamic Relations and the Muslim Brotherhood.
[40] Campa-Najjar's 2018 candidacy attracted international attention due to allegations that his grandfather was involved with the Munich massacre.
[50] Initially characterized as a progressive during his 2018 run, Campa-Najjar walked back his support of Medicare for All and a Green New Deal, calling the latter "impractical".
[51][52] In October 2020, a podcaster posted screenshots purporting to show Campa-Najjar identifying as a blue dog Democrat who intended to become an independent if elected in 2020.
He said in the interview that he would likely support Judge Amy Coney Barrett's confirmation to the U.S. Supreme Court and, if elected, would consider investigating Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton.
[57] The newspaper endorsed Campa-Najjar, citing him as "a breath of fresh air," in contrast to long-term congressman Issa "saying derogatory things".
[59][60] In 2022, Campa-Najjar unsuccessfully ran for the position of mayor of Chula Vista, California — a city in San Diego County's South Bay region that is outside the congressional district in which he previously claimed residency.
He was sworn in aboard the USS Midway (now a museum), which he described as surreal because at the same site in 2018, Duncan D. Hunter held a press conference and made racially charged attacks against Campa-Najjar.