EMILY’s List, a political action committee that aims to help elect Democratic female candidates in favor of abortion rights to office, has made an extraordinary contribution of $1 million to Joanna Weiss’s CA-47 campaign, mainly to buy TV time leading up to the March primary. Weiss, who’s criticized Min for accepting PAC money for his State Senate run (Min accepted no PAC money for his 2018 run for Congress or his current campaign for CA-47 which the Weiss campaign buries in agate type, has also self-funded a significant portion ofher campaign. EMILY is an acronym for “Early Money Is Like Yeast” for raising campaign “dough.”
The news of the donation has resulted in Democratics of Greater Irvine, a party backed club that’s backing Min, has sent a letter to ther PAC about their action. Here’s the letter. DGI letter to EMILYs List 31 Jan 2024
January 31, 2024
Ms. Jessica Mackler, Interim President
EMILYs List
1800 M St NW, Suite 375N
Washington, D.C. 20036
Re: EMILYs List’s financial support of CA47 candidate Joanna Weiss
Dear Ms. Mackler,
A POLITICO article dated 1/30/2024 quotes you as stating, “the path to electing a pro-choice majority to Congress runs straight through keeping California’s 47th Congressional District blue.” You continue with, “Orange County will be best served by Joanna Weiss, a mom, lawyer, and founder of a grassroots organization responsible for progress in her community.”
We, the board members of Democrats of Greater Irvine, whose city is the most populous and largest city in the 47th Congressional District, respectfully disagree.
It appears that EMILYs List, an outside group based in Washington, D.C. may not have thoroughly vetted Ms. Weiss; for example, she does not even live in our district. More importantly, it appears that your organization has insufficiently researched the demographics of our district. Had your organization done its due diligence, it would have found that our district has a large AAPI population, who in 2020, were instrumental in electing another CA47 Democratic candidate, State Senator Dave Min.
Our district’s large AAPI community played a pivotal role that year in which they showed a clear preference for candidates like Senator Min who embody their experiences and concerns. Senator Min won in a tough election year in which he outperformed our Orange County congressional candidates: Representative Katie Porter, former Representative Harley Rouda (who lost his reelection to Republican AAPI candidate, Michelle Steel), and former Representative Gil Cisneros (who lost his reelection to Republican AAPI candidate Young Kim). Coupled with Senator Min’s record of accomplishments, endorsements and widespread name recognition, the winning combination of the AAPI vote with Senator Min is irrefutable and will keep this seat blue.
Also, had your organization done its due diligence of Ms. Weiss, who has never run for office, you would have discovered that her family’s personal wealth which is funding her campaign is tied to defending the Catholic Diocese of Orange County in at least four sexual abuse lawsuits. This scandal will strongly dissuade voters in CA47. Also, Ms. Weiss will be viewed as a “carpetbagger” who sends her children to expensive private schools outside the district. All of these factors will alienate a broad spectrum of our constituency.
Ms. Weiss’ lack of experience, her family’s tie to the Catholic Church sexual abuse scandal, her negative and racist anti-Asian campaign, and her lack of connection to our district are detrimental and will put Democrats at a grave risk of losing this seat, as compared to any past mistakes made by Senator Min. We support EMILYs List’s mission to elect more women representatives. However, backing the flawed campaign of Ms. Weiss will harm the chances of electing a Democratic House majority in 2024. Senator Min’s proven track record, including a 100% rating from Planned Parenthood, feminist credentials, and strong community ties position Senator Min as a far more viable candidate to secure a Democratic victory in November.
We ask that EMILYs List reconsider spending its funds on Ms. Weiss, and instead redirect its money to more viable or electable women candidates such as the Democratic party-endorsed candidate in CA45, Kim Nguyen-Penaloza and EMILYs List-endorsed candidate in CA40, Allyson Muñiz Damikolas.
Sincerely,
The Democrats of Greater Irvine board members
Dr. Kev Abazajian, Chair
Mari Fujii, 1st Vice Chair
Dr. Luette Forrest, 2nd Vice Chair
Don Geller, Treasurer
Joel Davis, Communications Chair
One correction for our friends at DGI; Weiss has movbed into the district and is renting a two bedroom apartment in Corona Del Mar that’s nearly $8,000 a month. The family still owns their 5,000 square foot home in San Juan Capistrano. Weiss lived in Costa Mesa and CDM from 1997 until 2015
I repectfully disagree with the comment that Joanna now “lives” in our district. It was only mere weeks ago that she rented an apt in NB/CDM to show that she finally has an in-district address (while still keeping her home in San Juan Capo with her family still based there) — this, after campaigning since last year from her home in SJC.
Voters in CA47 aren’t stupid. Case in point, “Dr. Oz” lost his Senate bid in PA in 2022 after being labeled a “carpetbagger” by John Fetterman. Yeah, Dr. Oz did move to PA, but voters knew he had ZERO connections to PA and only moved there for the sole purpose of running for office.
CA47 voters will think the same of Ms. Weiss, who also has zero ties to our district, and they will know that she moved in-district for the sole purpose of running in CA47.
Vote Dave Min. He’s a million timed better than Scott Baugh or any republican.
Vote Dave Min. He’s a million times better than Scott Baugh or any republican. Oc isn’t what it use to be. Baugh is way to conservative for this district. Perhaps he should run for congress in Idaho.
A friend forwarded current job postings at Emilys List. Obviously, they lost their Director when Gov Newsom appointed her to temporarily fill Feinstein’s seat. More interesting, is that there is an opening for State and Local Regional Director, the responsibilities of which include identifying and recruiting candidates.
If that region is California, it might explain how they have stepped in dog pooh here.
It’s an open secret here in CA47 that Weiss was not their first choice for this seat. Actually, she was the fifth or sixth woman that they tried to recruit to run. All of the others declined. And unlike Weiss, all of the others currently hold or have held elected office before.
It’s a safe assumption that many or most of those women who turned down EMILYs List offer to run are Dave Min supporters because they have watched carefully all of the hard work and legislative “wins” he has done, as well the money that he’s brought to our district over the past 3-1/2 years — much more money than any State Senator that we’ve ever had in the past.
The DGI letter was mentioned in today’s Capitol Morning Report news report. View their news report here: https://drive.google.com/file/d/19kaW_GrvIrhp5p7cd4S51u-xybvp0k_g/view?usp=sharing
It must be nice to have a quarter million lying around to augment fundraising reporting. Other than mailers, I see no sign of Weiss in Irvine
I am really disappointed in the lack of thoroughness of this reporting. This absolutely has to be intrinsically related to Greg and his habit of wearing flip-flops. I suggest an immediate revision!
per the last reporting, Briana Walker aka InMiniVanHell is paid $1000 a month for social media but she never discloses this. I guess the E in Wave can be waived
The DGI letter was linked in yesterday’s article in POLITICO. DGI letter is here: https://bit.ly/dgi-emilyslist-letter
The last DGI announcement/letter on dark money only lists EMILY’s List; I was able to score the names of the other PACs, but for DGI to put this letter out there without details makes that letter less effective
It’s interesting that Dave’s Democratic opponent is now being supported by ads by a “Women Vote” PAC into which EMILYs List is funneling its (dark) money.
But here are just some of the Democratic women leaders who have endorsed Dave (from https://davemin.com/endorsements):
Congressmembers Judy Chu, Grace Meng, and Katie Porter
State Lt. Governor Eleni Kounalakis
State Treasurer Fiona Ma
Senate President Pro Tempore Toni Atkins
State Senators Angelique Ashby, Catherine Blakespear, Anna Caballero, Maria Elena Durazo, Lena Gonzalez, Melissa Hurtado, Monique Limon, Susan Rubio, Aisha Wahab
Assemblymembers Eloise Gomez Reyes, Jasmeet Bains, Tasha Boerner-Horvath, Mia Bonta, Lisa Calderon, Jacqui Irwin, Stephanie Nguyen, Sharon Quirk-Silva, Pilar Schiavo, Lori Wilson
Aliso Viejo Councilwoman Tiffany Ackley, Costa Mesa Councilwomen Andrea Marr and Loren Gameros, Fullerton Councilwoman Shana Charles, Garden Grove Councilwoman Kim Bernice Nguyen, Former Garden Grove Mayor Diedre Thu-Ha Nguyen, Huntington Beach Councilwomen Rhonda Bolton and Natalie Moser, Former Huntington Beach Mayor Kim Carr, Irvine Councilwomen Tammy Kim and Kathleen Treseder, Laguna Woods Councilwoman Shari Horne, Santa Ana Mayor Valerie Amezcua, Santa Ana Councilwoman Thai Viet Phan, Tustin Councilwomen Letitia Clark and Beckie Gomez, Coast Community College Board Trustees Elizabeth Dorn Parker, Irvine Unified School District Trustees Lauren Brooks and Katie McEwen, Newport-Mesa Unified School District Trustees Leah Ersoylu and Michelle Murphy, Orange Unified School District Trustees Kris Erickson, Ana Page and Andrea Yamasaki, South Orange County Community College District Trustee Carolyn Inmon, Tustin Unified School District Allyson Damikolas, Saddleback Valley Unified School District Trustees Barbara Schulman and Suzie Swartz
Treseder has been gving $100 a month to the Weiss campaign for some time. Shows her political ignorance by playing both sides of the fence.
David Min drove a company (state) vehicle while under the influence. I have been in Sacramento. There is ample access to cabs, Uber, et al. Why are so many willing g to overlook this major lapse in judgement? Thankfully he did not cause injury to himself or others. His potential election could be viewed as failing up.
EMILYs List: This is what a real ally to women looks like. Thank you National Organization for Women (NOW) for endorsing pro-choice Democratic NJ Senate candidate Andy Kim! https://twitter.com/wildstein/status/1761789811822666223