DCCC Clearing The Field For Rich "Ex"-Republican Gil Cisneros? Jay Chen Withdraws

DCCC doesn't care what OC voters want-- they insist on the corrupt lottery winner 

I was worried about the open CA-39 race (northeast Orange County) when Jay Chen, a solid progressive, suddenly jumped in (immediately after Ed Royce announced his retirement). Jay is a very strong candidate and my fear was that he would split the progressive vote between himself and Sam Jammal, allowing one of the self-funding carpetbaggers to win or-- worse, trigger a race pitting 2 Republicans against each other-- in November. Polls have been showing Jay as the front runner, with Sam close behind and the self-funders left in the dust. Nonetheless, the DCCC is ruthlessly trying to clear the field for the most pathetic candidate in the race, the conservative, incompetent "ex"-Republican lottery winner from Newport Coast, Gil Cisneros. It's all about the grotesque DCCC corruption and the money Cisneros is spreading around. He can't win but the DCCC doesn't care. they will do whatever they have to do to deliver the nomination to the weakest candidate.

Yesterday early in the morning, two e-mails arrived on Jay Chen letterhead. First a note from Jay explaining why he is dropping out and less than 5 minutes later one from Judy Chu and Mark Takano. Here are the relevant parts of both e-mails. First Jay's note:

[T]he reality is that with the top-two open primary system in California and a crowded field, the path for a Democratic victory is a narrow one. As of now 9 Democratic candidates and 7 Republican candidates have filed for a primary in which Republican turnout may remain higher than Democratic turnout. The probability of two Republicans advancing in November, and Democrats squandering a historic opportunity, is real.

We cannot let this chance slip by. The stakes are far too high, not just for our country, but also for a world that once looked to the United States as a beacon of hope and democracy. Instead, we are seeing a movement towards authoritarianism across the globe that is not just being condoned, but mimicked by the President of the United States.  The Republican-controlled Congress has done nothing to stop this degradation, which is why we must flip Congress, and we cannot flip Congress unless Democrats win this seat.

The greatest contribution I can make right now is to help consolidate the field, by stepping away from it. We cannot afford to let this seat slip away, and we must all put the greater good over personal ambition.

This was not an easy decision to make. Polling and endorsements show that I am the strongest Democrat for the open primary.  We have opened our office, hired staff, and made significant investments in this race. Many have upended their lives and made major contributions to see this campaign succeed. But after close consultation with mentors, friends, family and staff, we believe this difficult decision is the right decision, for us, for our district, and for the Democratic majority we need to guide our country.

So the DCCC pushed out the frontrunner for a rich carpetbagger. I wonder what they offered him? Backing in 2020 for Grace Napolitano's seat? Help with a run for the state legislature? God knows what these characters are up to! Speaking of which... Judy and Mark:

As Asian American leaders in Congress, we were very excited when Jay Chen announced his candidacy for the 39th Congressional District.

As the only Democratic candidate in this race that has ever run or held local office, and as the candidate that has lived in the district the longest, we are confident that Jay Chen is the best fit for this district. This is why we wholeheartedly endorsed his candidacy, and why Jay has garnered the grassroots support and key endorsements in this race. Congress is not an entry-level job, and Jay has shown the commitment to service and community that we need in Washington DC.

Winning the 39th District is key to Democratic chances to retake the House and stand up to President Donald Trump. Trump’s unpopular presidency has led to an unprecedented number of first-time candidates running across the country, including Southern California. While we are excited about the enthusiasm, we are also aware that with California’s top-two primary system, large numbers of Democratic candidates could split the vote and send two Republicans to the general election. District 39 faces that dilemma.

Jay Chen’s personal decision not to run, so that the Democratic vote can be consolidated instead of fractured, is a remarkable sacrifice for a greater cause that further speaks to his character. We applaud his selfless commitment to public service and thank all of his supporters who have backed him thus far. We believe this is the right decision and we look forward to supporting Jay again in the future.

Let's see who they'll back now. Will it be the ridiculous DCCC pick, Gil "4%" Cisneros, for whom the DCCC has fabricated a fake poll? Takano and Chu say they need a candidate not looking at Congress as an entry-level job and for someone from the district. Cisneros couldn't be more wrong for CA-39. Three out-of-district multimillionaires sniffed out an opportunity to have the word "congressman" on their business cards-- Gil Cisneros, Andy Thorburn and Mai Khan Tran. One openly refuses to live int he district. The other 2 have said they moved in, but neither appears to have actually done so by all accounts. Royce represented the area for 25 years, not including his time in the California legislature. The 3 major Republicans are all local elected officials with deep roots in the district.

The Democrats were never going to win this seat by carpetbagging. Before and after Royce, the strongest case Republicans have is that they have local roots, so they won't forget families in the 39th even as Washington becomes more distant and unresponsive.

The only local candidates have been Sam Jammal, Jay Chen and Phil Janowicz. Jay dropped out yesterday and Phil hasn't raised money and is yet to file. This leaves Sam as the only local candidate left in the field from the community. He is also the only candidate with experience in senior roles in government and business. And Sam is the only actual progressive in the race.

The 39th district is now fundamentally a question of whether Democrats will allow out-of-district multimillionaires to buy a congressional seat or upend the ability of the party to field a candidate in November due to California's top 2 primary system. Time and again carpetbaggers have been rejected in the 39th district and the out-of-district trio continues to not resonate in the field even as they have spent hundreds of thousands of dollars to date.

Democrats will not beat local Republicans whose politics are a poor fit with out-of-district candidates whose entire personal profiles are also a poor fit. Sam is the candidate that needs the progressive boost to give us any shot at the 39th.