To: Interested Parties
Fr: Michael Trujillo — Campaign Manager, Barragán for Congress
RE: The State of the Race, CA-44
DA: 6/1/16
“NANETTE BARRAGÁN IS THE BEST CANDIDATE TO REPLACE JANICE HAHN IN CONGRESS”
– Los Angeles Times, Endorsement Editorial, 5/12/16
THE LAY OF THE LAND
The state of the race for the open seat in California’s 44th Congressional District has shifted dramatically since it began last summer. What was one perceived to be an easy win for State Senator Isadore Hall is now a competitive contest heading into the June 7 primary election date.
In the early stages of the race, insiders predicted that the race was over before it really had a chance to get under way. State Senator Hall’s campaign aggressively promoted the premise that Hall was “the prohibitive front-runner” and regularly touted his fundraising prowess.
However, Barragán’s widespread grassroots support and compelling personal story have edged into Hall’s fundraising advantage, making for what will be a very competitive general election campaign. In an environment where voters are frustrated with entrenched, status quo incumbents, Barragán’s success is a reflection of an increasingly hostile atmosphere toward Hall and his propensity to do the bidding of oil and gambling interests, at the expense of families in this district.
TURNOUT
Activity at the top of the ticket, specifically the presidential primary fight between Senator Bernie Sanders and Secretary Hillary Clinton and the U.S. Senate contest between Attorney General Kamala Harris and Congresswoman Loretta Sanchez, could result in an increase in turnout.
SPENDING
Hall’s fundraising has slowed significantly since Q4 of 2015 and his campaign has spent aggressively in the early stages of the primary.
Perhaps because of that, third party, special interest groups have recently begun running paid communications campaigns on Hall’s behalf. The Cooperative of American Physicians IE Committee, for example, has stepped up with tens of thousands of dollars in mail promoting Hall. This is likely a result of Hall’s support for tort reform.
About Nanette Barragán
Barragán has run an energetic, well-organized campaign since she got in the race, focusing on the issues important to the district. As a result, she has compiled significant endorsements from Members of Congress (Linda Sanchez, Lucille Roybal Allard, Joaquin Castro, and others) as well as local elected officials from around the district.
However, perhaps the biggest sign of a shift in the race toward Barragán was the the Los Angeles Times’s endorsement of her campaign.
The endorsement noted that Barragán “has an up-from-the-bootstraps story that certainly resonates in this district: from the hardscrabble streets of Carson to the halls of UCLA and USC law school, to a White House internship and a job at one of Los Angeles’ top law firms, Latham & Watkins. Her accomplishments were earned, not bestowed. Even her political opponents concede that her intellect and policy chops are impressive. And her legislative priorities — the environment, education and jobs — are clear.”
You can read the entire endorsement here.
Barragán is the youngest of eleven kids raised by parents who immigrated to the United States from Mexico. Her priorities are good-paying jobs, access to great schools, and safe, healthy communities where you can raise a family. She got in to the race because she believes the 44th Congressional District deserves a representative who will serve the interests of the people who live in the district over the needs of big business, big oil, and big polluters.
Barragán led the successful fight to defeat a ballot measure that would have allowed oil companies to drill in the Santa Monica Bay, despite her coalition being outspent 20:1.
She has also been endorsed by BOLD PAC, the Sierra Club, the League of Conservation Voters, the California League of Conservation Voters, Climate Hawks Vote, and Democracy for America.
Learn more about Nanette’s campaign here.
About Isadore Hall
Standing in stark contrast with their positive comments about Barragán, the LA Times also raised “flags” about Isadore Hall’s record, specifically pointing out that he is “one of the top recipients of donations from oil interests,” and “other big donors to his campaigns are casinos and gambling interests, tobacco companies and the alcohol lobby.”
The LA Times endorsement went on to say that, “State Senator Isadore Hall does not have a clear record on the issues that matter most to the people of California’s 44th district. What is more, it is unclear where Senator Hall’s priorities actually lie… If Hall’s votes were guided by a deep-rooted political conviction that would be one thing. But he took an unexplained left turn after moving to the state Senate in December 2014. There he supported issues he once opposed, notably tougher gun laws and last year’s landmark climate change bill, SB 350. Perhaps it’s an intellectual evolution by Hall, but it raises questions about what his real priorities are.”
The charges in the LA Times endorsement are well documented.
Hall has received nearly $150,000 in campaign contributions from the oil and gas industry – more than almost any other state senator. [Source: California Secretary of State, Cal-Access, accessed 1/21/16]
In exchange, Hall voted to allow the oil and gas industries to hide information from the public about chemicals they pump into the ground. [Source: Sierra Club California, 2013 California Legislative Report Card]
He deliberately failed to vote for AB 669, which would have protected local California water supplies from being polluted by oil and gas drilling. [Source: California League of Conservation Voters, AB 669, Isadore Hall Scorecard]
And Hall voted against stricter penalties for air polluters that harm our children and families. [Source: California Planning & Development Report, 10/1/10; California Legislative Information, Vote on SB 1433, 8/31/10]
All of this led Daily Kos to label Hall one of the “oiliest Democrats in California.” [Source: Daily Kos, 5/1/16]
You can learn more about Hall’s record here.