Weiss Campaign Issues Press Release on Cook Political Report and Plays Loose with the Truth

I make an effort to run candidate press releases; the campaigns need to send them and I generally post them because they likely won’t be seen anywhere else.  Most do.  Some don’t.  Others clearly don’t know how to write a press release (Dom Jones campaign…that’s you).  The announcements that don’t go anywhere are “we have a new TV ad,” I won’t post because that’s not news.

So the Joanna Weiss for Congress campaign has finally begun sending us news.  Which is good, I think.  But often times, these annoucnements are out of context spin that’s borderline professionally unethical.  Like today’s press release.

Here’s what they sent (the bolded text is done by the campaign):

Cook Political Report: Joanna Weiss Is The Strongest Candidate To Keep CA-47 Blue

ORANGE COUNTY, CA – Yesterday, a Cook Political Report analysis of California’s congressional races revealed that California’s 47th congressional district was “perhaps the most consequential for which party controls the House in 2025.” In particular, the report stated that “whether the party can hold on to the seat” in the general election would depend on which Democratic candidate wins the primary election in March.

The report underscores how difficult it would be for Democrats to retain this seat if Dave Min were the general election nominee:

1. Last May, state senator Dave Min was “arrested for drunk driving and sentenced to three years of probation, upending the race … Min’s DUI leveled the playing field, and allowed Joanna Weiss’ congressional campaign to pick up steam.”
2. Now, “outside groups have now spent millions of dollars broadcasting the video of Min’s DUI to voters in the 47th District, and Republicans can easily continue that line of attack. If Democrats hope to take back the house in 2024, this is a seat they can’t afford to lose, and nominating Min could make defending it more difficult.”

A few additional excerpts below:

1. Joanna Weiss — a first-time candidate — has, “for the past three quarters … kept pace with Min’s fundraising and picked up endorsements from several Democratic members of Congress as well as EMILY’s List and the moderate NewDem Action Fund.”
2. “At the end of January, EMILY’s List announced a $1 million ad campaign supporting Weiss — a significant investment from the group … A week later, the super PAC affiliated with AIPAC started airing anti-Min ads, and to date, has spent $2 million on TV and radio ads that highlight footage of Min’s arrest.”
3. “Weiss and her allies have a massive advantage on the airwaves. They’ve spent $2.5 million as of Feb. 19, compared to the Min campaign’s $91,000.”

###

Joanna is a former litigator and Adjunct Professor at Chapman University School of Law where she taught courses on Pre-Trial Civil Procedure and Public Interest Lawyering. Joanna served on the Board of Directors of the Public Law Center for over a decade, winning multiple awards for her legal and community leadership.

As founder of Women for American Values and Ethics (WAVE), Joanna has activated over 2,300 activists to donate over 50,000 volunteer hours, register over 10,000 students, and raise millions to support candidates and causes in Orange County, CA. Born and raised in Orange County, Joanna attended Capistrano Valley High School and Saddleback College, graduated from UCLA, and received her JD from USC School of Law. Joanna and her husband Jason love to surf, hike, and volunteer with their children Leah, Will, and Audrey.

……

Wow, the Cook Political Report says Weiss is the Strongest Candidate?

Spoiler: No they didn’t.  The headline is a lie.

And go ahead and click the link; you’ll need to subscribe to read the whole story.  But as a public service, here it is for you (I’ve bolded some items for emphasis):

Headline: Previewing the Primaries in California’s Democratic-Held Seats

CA-47: OPEN (Porter) (D) – Orange County: Irvine, Huntington Beach, Newport Beach
Lean Democrat. This cycle’s most vitriolic Democratic primary — and perhaps the most consequential for which party controls the House in 2025 — will come to a head next month. Whoever wins a spot in the general election will have to defend one of the state’s most competitive seats, which leans Democratic at the top of the ticket but is still winnable for down-ballot Republicans.

At the beginning of the election cycle, Democratic state Sen. Dave Min was seen as the clear frontrunner to succeed Porter in this suburban, Orange County-based district. Min, a former professor at the University of California Irvine School of Law, had run for this seat in 2018 but lost the primary to Porter. This time, Porter endorsed him.

Then last May, Min was arrested for drunk driving and sentenced to three years of probation, upending the race. The state senator has retained support from his allies in Sacramento and Washington, including Porter, and has since picked up endorsements from the state party and the Los Angeles Times. But Min’s DUI leveled the playing field, and allowed Joanna Weiss’ congressional campaign to pick up steam. Weiss, an attorney, founded the liberal grassroots group Women for American Values and Ethics (WAVE) but is a first-time candidate. For the past three quarters, Weiss has kept pace with Min’s fundraising (editor’s note: No mention for the $230K loan to herself) and picked up endorsements from several Democratic members of Congress as well as EMILY’s List and the moderate NewDem Action Fund (editor’s note, that endorsement issued by the chair of the group, Rep. Lou Correa and Rep. Adam Schiff have not endorsed Weiss).

At the end of January, EMILY’s List announced a $1 million ad campaign supporting Weiss — a significant investment from the group, which has struggled financially and has yet to spend on any other races this cycle (aside from the special election in Rhode Island’s 1st District last year). A week later, the super PAC affiliated with AIPAC started airing anti-Min ads, and to date, has spent $2 million on TV and radio ads that highlight footage of Min’s arrest.

Weiss has faced her own negative headlines stemming from her husband’s legal work. Last month, the Daily Beast published a story detailing Jason Weiss’ defense of the Catholic Diocese of Orange County in several sex abuse cases. Min’s campaign has since released mailers accusing Weiss of funding her campaign through her husband’s work for the Catholic Church; in response, Weiss accused the Min campaign of “actionable defamation.” (editor’s note: the truth is defense against defamation).

All in all, Weiss and her allies have a massive advantage on the airwaves. They’ve spent $2.5 million as of Feb. 19, compared to the Min campaign’s $91,000. Neither campaign has released polling since they went up on TV, but Republicans’ presumptive nominee, Scott Baugh, publicized his campaign’s internal poll taken that showed him leading the field with 27%, while Min had 22% and Weiss had 16%. The survey, conducted by GOP pollster WPAi, was taken Feb. 12-14, a week after AIPAC and EMILY’s List started airing ads. (The survey said Weiss lost support after voters were informed).

Regardless of which Democrat advances to November, this seat will be competitive. Baugh came just 3 points away from defeating Porter in 2022, after both sides spent $41 million on the race (and Republican Brian Dahle narrowly carried the seat over Newsom on the same ballot, 50.3%-49.7%). And the former state assemblyman had $1.7 million in his campaign at the end of 2023, nearly double that of his Democratic opponents.

Democrats are still favored to hold this seat. Biden carried it by 11 points in 2020, and turnout in a presidential cycle should bolster Democrats here. And Baugh, who has a long history in Orange County GOP politics, has his own skeletons: in 1999, he faced felony charges for allegedly filing false campaign reports, and though the criminal charges were dropped, he paid nearly $50,000 in fines for violating the state’s Political Reform Act.

Both Weiss and Min tout polls arguing they would be the stronger general election candidate. But outside groups have now spent millions of dollars broadcasting the video of Min’s DUI to voters in the 47th District, and Republicans can easily continue that line of attack. If Democrats hope to take back the house in 2024, this is a seat they can’t afford to lose, and nominating Min could make defending it more difficult.

In reading the entire piece, did the Cook Political Report ever say Weiss was the strongest candidate to keep CA-47 Blue?  They did not.  The cherry picked part of the story to make a case, but the headline is a lie.  It’s not truthful — at all.

Back to the Daily Beast story, because it ties to the notion of this false headline in the press release. Matt Fuller, who is the Washington Bureau chief for The Daily Beast defended writer Roger Sollenberger, the author of the Weiss/Catholic Church article, with a thread on X.com (formally known as Twitter) and said: I hope you’ll read the story, and I hope you’ll share it. Because that’s what these people don’t want you to do. They don’t want transparency. They don’t want accountability. They don’t want anyone asking questions. Don’t let them get away with it.

And for the #WeissBots on Twitter, no, 100 Democratic members of Congress have not endorsed Weiss.  The chair of the New Democratic Coalition caucus– Anne Kuster — made that decision solely on her own.  In fact, Rep. Adam Schiff has already instructed the Weiss campaign  to remove his name from this endorsement.  Rep. Lou Correa has not endorsed in this race.  And this reminder that Rep. Katie Porter is still fully behind Min.

Hidden in all this money being spent by EMILYs list is their lack of support for a pro-choice, female of color, Democratic candidate endorsed by the county and state part, a host of elected and labor unions running against a horrible carpetbagger Republican in  nearby CA-45.

Hey EMILY’s List, send some money to Kim Nguyen Penaloza!