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Following Q2 fundraising reports, California Republicans have never looked more vulnerable. In races spanning the state, Democratic challengers outperformed Republican incumbents. The strong showing should come as no surprise – each challenger claims a spot on the DCCC’s coveted ‘Red to Blue’ program, which designates Democrats’ offensive strategy for maintaining a House majority.
In CA-22, top Democratic recruit Rudy Salas outraised Republican David Valadao in Q2. While Salas led Republicans by nearly 20 points in the primary, incumbent Valadao, who is running in a Biden +12.4 seat thanks to redistricting, struggled to make it on the general election ballot after fending off a primary from the right. With this quarter’s abysmal fundraising numbers, Valadao’s troubles are far from over.
In Biden district CA-45, Lt. Commander. (res.) Jay Chen raised more than vulnerable Republican Michelle Steel in the post-primary period, despite Steel receiving support from Big Oil and insurrectionist Barry Loudermilk.
Meanwhile, Will Rollins outraised Republican incumbent Ken Calvert by nearly $20,000 last quarter. Calvert’s poor fundraising comes fresh off the heels of a bruising news cycle re-examining his homophobic record.
Further north, doctor and veteran Kermit Jones trounced his Republican opponent in the quarter’s latest filing, and reported four times more cash on hand than MAGA extremist Kevin Kiley. Clearly, Kiley did not rededicate the time saved dodging reporters’ questions on the legitimacy of the 2020 presidential election to fundraising.
“Following California’s primary, across the state, Democratic challengers’ record-breaking fundraising demonstrates the clear, grassroots support for candidates willing to stick up for our safety and fundamental rights,” said DCCC spokesperson Maddy Mundy. “California voters are motivated to kick extreme Republicans out of office. Democrats’ strong performance in Q2 proves they have the momentum to do just that.”
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