Tuesday, August 13, 2024

California Dems pounce on JD Vance’s stumbles

Presented by American Recyclable Plastic Bag Alliance: Inside the Golden State political arena
Aug 13, 2024 View in browser
 
POLITICO California Playbook

By Lara Korte and Dustin Gardiner

Presented by American Recyclable Plastic Bag Alliance

JD. Vance stands and crosses his arms.

Sen. JD Vance listens during the Faith & Freedom Coalition’s “God & Country Breakfast” at the Pfister Hotel, on July 18, 2024, in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. | Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images

LAST CHANCE! GUESS WHICH BILLS WON’T SURVIVE, WIN PRIZES — On Thursday, California lawmakers will run through hundreds of bills in quick succession and announce which will (and won’t) advance from the Appropriations committees to the floor. Now’s your chance to make predictions and compete against your fellow politicos — and the Playbook authors — to guess which bills won’t survive the dreaded “suspense file.”

Those with the most accurate guesses will receive a shout-out in California Playbook and some extra special swag. Remember to leave your name and email with your prediction so we can contact you if you win. Entries will close at 5 p.m. today. Winners will be announced Friday. 

THE BUZZ Three years ago, JD Vance suggested divorce was not the solution to unhappy marriages, even those that involved violence.

Now, a California House candidate is being asked to answer for it.

Vance’s comments at a private event hosted by an Orange County high school in 2021, before he was elected Ohio senator, have become a point of contention in the race for outgoing Rep. Katie Porter’s battleground district. Democratic state Sen. Dave Min is using the vice presidential nominee’s remarks to hammer Scott Baugh, his Republican opponent, by pointing out that he is a trustee of the school that hosted Vance years ago.

Now, Min's campaign is spending five figures to blast that message across the airwaves. A new ad released this morning, shared first with Playbook, features Min's wife Jane Stoever, director of UC Irvine's Domestic Violence Law Clinic, somberly describing the terrors faced by victims of domestic violence.

"They've been strangled, raped, locked in their own homes, and the longer they stay, the more the violence escalates," she says in the ad. "When JD Vance told an Orange County school that women should stay in violent marriages, it scared me. For Scott Baugh to say that he's pleased Vance is the nominee — that's just plain dangerous."

Baugh, in a statement to Playbook Monday, said, "Domestic violence is never acceptable, in any circumstance. I stand by victims of domestic violence and, frankly, all crime.”

Although his connection to Vance’s controversial take might be tenuous, the line of attack is an early indicator of how other Democrats in swing House districts could use Vance as a cudgel against their GOP opponents — especially when it comes to winning over suburban women.

Prior to the shakeup of the last few weeks, Democratic candidates in California’s swing districts had been careful when drawing attention to the top of the ticket. But now, emboldened by Vice President Kamala Harris’ ascent and Vance’s rocky rollout, Democrats are going after him with more zeal.

Focusing on the VP candidate is a fairly unusual play, especially for a party that has historically found a reliable foil in Donald Trump. But Vance’s polarizing social commentary has given them fresh fodder. The party is working to tie opponents to Vance’s comments on abortion and “childless cat ladies,” along with his connection to Kevin D. Roberts, president of the Heritage Foundation, which authored Project 2025.

Other swing-district Dems like Will Rollins, who is challenging incumbent GOP Rep. Ken Calvert in a district that includes Palm Springs, have also used Vance’s comments to needle their opponents online.  

“JD Vance offers no shortage of terrible takes that voters will hold against both him and his MAGA extremist friends across California — and down the ballot — this November,” said Dan Gottlieb, spokesperson for the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee.

In Orange County, Min has asked Baugh to denounce his previous support for Vance amid the newly-surfaced comments. The Republican disavowed domestic abuse in response, but sidestepped the VP issue, instead knocking Min for supporting a 2022 law that allows some felons to clear their criminal records. 

Vance’s latest comments hit on a key vulnerability for Republicans like Baugh — suburban women who mobilized following Trump's election and were key to flipping the seat to Porter in 2018.

"Orange County has become competitive for Democrats in the past decade because of the gains that Democrats have made among suburban, college-educated women," said Drew Godinich, a Democratic strategist with extensive experience in California congressional races. "When [Republicans] are talking about women and women's rights the way that they have in the past 10 years, Democrats are going to make gains among the crucial blocks that we need to hold or flip these Orange County seats."

Republicans have made their own attempts to drag down Democrats by questioning the integrity of VP pick Tim Walz (who is set to visit Newport Beach today), and in districts, have continued to deflect Democrats’ attacks while trying to pivot to kitchen table issues.

“Dave Min's hypocritical attacks are a desperate smokescreen to distract from his own disastrous record of voting to seal domestic abusers’ felony records,” said Ben Petersen, a spokesperson for the National Republican Congressional Committee. “Orange County voters will reject Min coddling abusers while violent crime spikes because they are paying the price for his extreme soft-on-crime agenda.”

GOOD MORNING. Happy Tuesday. Thanks for waking up with Playbook.

You can text us at ‪916-562-0685‬‪ — save it as “CA Playbook” in your contacts. Or drop us a line at lkorte@politico.com and dgardiner@politico.com, or on X — @DustinGardiner and @Lara_Korte.

WHERE’S GAVIN? Nothing official announced.

 

A message from American Recyclable Plastic Bag Alliance:

California is about to ban more than just recyclable and reusable plastic grocery bags. The broad language in SB 1053 and AB 2236 threatens washable and reusable grocery bags and popular, commonly purchased items like sandwich bags, trash bags, backpacks, and insulated cooler bags, too. Recycled paper bags will be your only choice. California legislators: oppose SB 1053 and AB 2236. This legislation will set a precedent that California shouldn’t celebrate. Learn more.

 
CAMPAIGN YEAR

Headshots of Donald Trump and Elon Musk are side by side.

Former President Donald Trump, left, appears at a rally in Minden, Nev., on Oct. 8, 2022. Billionaire businessman Elon Musk, right, smiles in Wilmington, Del., on July 12, 2021. | AP

CROWDED SPACES — Former President Trump railed against Democrats’ handling of the immigration crisis in a lengthy, wide-ranging conversation with Tesla CEO Elon Musk on Monday, focusing in particular on the vice president’s supposed failures as “border czar.”

“I saw an ad by Kamala saying how she is going to provide border security,” Trump said. “Where have you been for three and a half years?”

The much-anticipated conversation between Trump and Musk was delayed about 45 minutes due to an overwhelming amount of X users trying to tune in on Musk’s own social media platform. At the outset, Musk was clear that he was not trying to interview the former president, saying that people are not themselves when they’re in confrontational environments.

What ensued were long, winding musings from Trump on everything from foreign affairs to government spending to his political enemies, including Rep. Adam Schiff, “Shifty Schiff,” whom the former Republican called “a sick person” while praising his own relationship with Russian leader Vladimir Putin. 

Trump spent several minutes bashing the Biden administration for problems at the border, saying Democrats were allowing dangerous criminals and drugs to flow into the country and hanging the responsibility on Harris.

“Now, she's trying to say she had nothing to do with it, and she's such a liar, because she was called the ‘Border Czar’ on the first day, and it was on the headlines of every newspaper,” Trump said.

He also couldn’t pass up an opportunity to call out California’s Gov. “Gavin Newscum,” who he claimed was doing a “horrible job” at education, without providing more detail.

Toward the end of the conversation, Trump accused Harris of being a radical leftist, and said she is "far worse" than progressive Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders.

DAILY SHOW FODDER — Jon Stewart had fun Monday night with Christopher Cadelago's scoop that got to the bottom of the Trump helicopter mystery. Watch the bit here (starting at 7:15-minute mark).

 

During unprecedented times, POLITICO Pro Analysis gives you the insights you need to focus your policy strategy. Live briefings, policy trackers, and and people intelligence secures your seat at the table. Learn more.

 
 

CRYPTO CASH —  Fairshake, the super PAC backed by cryptocurrency scions, placed $21.7 million worth of broadcast ads this week, according to ad tracker AdImpact, including millions backing Republicans in some of California’s key House races.

The PAC announced last week it would reserve a total of $25 million for 18 candidates across the country ahead of November. Per AdImpact, the group has reserved the following amounts for a slate of GOP incumbents:

— Rep. Mike Garcia: $1.88 million in Los Angeles

— Rep. Young Kim: $878,000 in Los Angeles

— Rep. Michelle Steel: $878,000 in Los Angeles

— Rep. David Valadao: $373,000 in Fresno and $152,000 in Bakersfield.

Meanwhile, the gun safety group Giffords PAC has placed nearly $2 million worth of ad buys to boost Min, the Democrat in the open race for Porter’s Orange County seat.

 

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ON THE AGENDA

PROP 35 HEARING — The Assembly and Senate Health Committees are getting together today to discuss a ballot measure on Medi-Cal funding and the MCO tax.

CLIMATE AND ENERGY

TESLA'S TRUMPIAN TURN — Musk is the one person who can soften Trump’s opinion on electric vehicles. Whether he would actually save California’s EV mandate from being dismantled in a second term is a different story. Read more in last night's California Climate.

 

DON’T MISS OUR AI & TECH SUMMIT: Join POLITICO’s AI & Tech Summit for exclusive interviews and conversations with senior tech leaders, lawmakers, officials and stakeholders about where the rising energy around global competition — and the sense of potential around AI and restoring American tech knowhow — is driving tech policy and investment. REGISTER HERE.

 
 
Top Talkers

— A 4.4 magnitude earthquake rattled Los Angeles on Monday, but there were no immediate reports of substantial damage. (Los Angeles Times)

— Nancy Pelosi hits back on Republicans' “stolen valor” accusations against Tim Walz. (POLITICO)

— The FBI is looking into a Trump campaign hack that also included an attempt on the Biden-Harris campaign. (POLITICO)

AROUND THE STATE

— A hotly-contested project to build a gondola from Los Angeles’ Union Station to Dodger Stadium prevailed in court over its detractors on Monday. (Los Angeles Daily News)

— Federal authorities on Monday accused a group of former law enforcement officers of using threats to extort an Irvine man for nearly $37 million, plus his lucrative business. (Los Angeles Times)

— These Silicon Valley power players are backing Trump. Here's how their political giving has evolved. (San Francisco Chronicle)— ‘We gotta be somewhere’: Homeless Californians react to Gov. Gavin Newsom’s crackdown on encampments. (CalMatters)

 

A message from American Recyclable Plastic Bag Alliance:

SB 1053 and AB 2236 will do more than ban just recyclable and reusable plastic grocery bags – their broad language threatens the sale of popular and convenient everyday products like sandwich bags, trash bags, backpacks and insulated cooler bags, too. By mandating only recycled paper bags, these bills would undermine over a decade’s worth of positive recycling policy that has contributed to millions of pounds of plastic recycled per year. Many Californians reuse current durable plastic bags, which are made with over 40% recycled material, for various purposes, including as garbage bags. Recycling is real, and there are California-based companies that recycle plastic bags, provide jobs and create tax revenues, which will all be lost if SB 1053 and AB 2236 pass. This legislation will hurt California consumers and its workers and create legal uncertainty for retailers when it comes to enforcement. These bills are wrong for California. Learn more.

 
PLAYBOOKERS

BIRTHDAYS — Margot RooseveltChris DhanarajEmily Myerson...

BELATED B-DAY WISHES — (was Monday): Tony West … Google’s Brianna Puccini Duff and Nick Meads Michael Lame … (was Sunday):  Alex Siciliano of the National Association of Broadcasters … Lois Weinsaft ... Alex Bernstein ... Yelena Shuster 

WANT A SHOUT-OUT FEATURED? — Send us a birthday, career move or another special occasion to include in POLITICO’s California Playbook. You can now submit a shout-out using this Google form.

CALIFORNIA POLICY IS ALWAYS CHANGING: Know your next move. From Sacramento to Silicon Valley, POLITICO California Pro provides policy professionals with the in-depth reporting and tools they need to get ahead of policy trends and political developments shaping the Golden State. To learn more about the exclusive insight and analysis this subscriber-only service offers, click here.

Want to make an impact? POLITICO California has a variety of solutions available for partners looking to reach and activate the most influential people in the Golden State. Have a petition you want signed? A cause you’re promoting? Seeking to increase brand awareness amongst this key audience? Share your message with our influential readers to foster engagement and drive action. Contact Rebecca Haase to find out how: rhaase@politico.com.

 

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