It looks like Democrats’ “defense is equally as formidable as their offense was in 2018”
After the Washington GOP listed California’s 25th as a top-target pick up opportunity and touted their supposed top-tier recruits, it appears to political observers in the California’s 25th that Republicans “are mailing this one in — or, at least, being outplayed by a Democratic Party.”
This comes after the four declared GOP candidates began attacking each other and tripping over themselves to prove who can be more of a Trump devotee…
The message is clear: Republicans in California’s 25th are dropping the ball, while Rep. Katie Hill is focused on the fight ahead for families in the Santa Clarita and Antelope Valleys.
Read more about the GOP mess in CA-25, HERE or below.
Santa Clarita Valley Signal: Editorial: “Our View | Is the GOP Writing Off the 25th Congressional Seat?”
If the early fundraising totals are any indication, it’s not a stretch to conclude that the Republican Party has already written off the 25th Congressional District and Rep. Katie Hill can start drafting her 2020 re-election speech.
What else can you conclude when Hill raised $1.34 million so far this election cycle, while her nearest challenger — Mike Garcia — raised just $250,000? And of that $250,000, half of it came from a personal loan he made to his own campaign.
That’s not to say there’s no chance a Republican challenger could unseat Hill. But if the money sends a message, the message the Republicans are sending is one of concession.
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But the fact remains, the money matters — especially when the disparity is as wide as it is right now in the changing 25th District.
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With the benefit of incumbency and a high national profile as a leader of the Democratic freshman class, Hill must go into 2020 as more than a prohibitive favorite who could only be unseated by an equally charismatic and savvy candidate — with the right financial support.
And her challenger who’s raised the most money so far has loaned his campaign half the funding it’s raised. Not a good early sign for Republicans.
Mike Garcia, the former fighter pilot, so far is vastly outmatched financially, and the other Republican challengers are trailing by even wider margins. It’s like going into a dogfight against the latest stealth aircraft and you’re flying something with propellers.
There’s a long time to go before November 2020. But at this point, it’s hard to escape the conclusion that the Republicans are mailing this one in — or, at least, being outplayed by a Democratic Party that’s playing the campaign finance game better and harnessing the power of online fundraising to garner national “grass roots” support for a candidate in a flippable district.
Now, the Democrats are playing defense and it looks like their defense is equally as formidable as their offense was in 2018.
If the local GOP wants to see a fair fight for the 25th Congressional District seat in 2020, much work remains, and support from beyond the district is a must, at least under the current rules of the game.
Otherwise, November 2020 will be a cake walk for Katie Hill.
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