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Democrat Pete Aguilar won a tough Congressional race against a Republican veteran in a conservative region that has elected Republicans to the Assembly, state Senate and Congress for decades.

Now he faces an even tougher battle: moving his agenda in a Republican-dominated Congress as a freshman Democrat, the lowest rung on the power-and-influence ladder in Washington D.C.

Aguilar says he plans to reach across the aisle to Republicans. But what if nobody reaches back?

I asked a couple of Aguilars soon-to-be peers, Inland members of Congress Ken Calvert and Mark Takano, what advice they have for him.

Democrats can increase their clout by joining with Republicans on issues of importance to the region, both men said.

Takano, D- Riverside, was in Aguilars shoes two years ago: an incoming freshman Democrat in a GOP-controlled House.

Now elected to his second term, Takano said getting party-neutral committee assignments is important.

Takano landed on the Veterans Affairs Committee and the Committee on Education and the Workforce his first term, very bipartisan committees, he said. Democrats and Reppublicans find common ground on helping vets; ditto for education.

For example, Takano worked with Calvert and Rep. Paul Cook, R-Yucca Valley, to make sure new drones will operate out of March Air Reserve Base in Takanos district, and be stationed in the High Desert in Cooks, Takano said.

Other issues where the region needs to pull together are water and court funding, in which the Inland area falls short and may face cuts, Takano said.

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CASSIE MACDUFF: New blue guy in a big red room