Knight: “I won’t give away any secrets, but we do a few things differently”
Today the election handicapper the Cook Political Report moved California’s 25th District to a “Toss Up,” a dramatic change from its post-2014 election rating as “Safe Republican.” They now call Congressman Steve Knight “the most vulnerable incumbent in California.”
From the Cook Political Report:
In our view, freshman GOP Rep. Steve Knight (CA-25) is now the most vulnerable incumbent in California. The last Republican to represent a part of Los Angeles County, he sits in a district where GOP registration is in free fall and now faces a strong opponent in Democratic consumer rights attorney Bryan Caforio.
In 2012, popular GOP Rep. Buck McKeon took 55 percent here against a weak opponent. Since then, the GOP’s 17,000 voter registration edge has turned into a 3,000 voter deficit.
Much as supposedly popular Republicans were simply overwhelmed by changing demographics in nearby districts in 2012, Knight is the California GOP incumbent most at risk of an anti-Trump surge.
There are many reasons for the ratings change, but beyond the statistics, the most defining factor is Knight himself. Knight gave a fascinating answer about how he plans to win in November: “I won’t give away any secrets, but we do a few things differently than other campaigns…”
If his ‘secret’ campaign strategy looks anything like what he’s been doing the past year – awful fundraising, constant gaffes, and ethical lapses – then we’re in for a fascinating five months.
Fundraising Knightmare:
During his first quarter in Congress, Knight brought in a whopping $28,000, while remaining $50,000 in debt.
Since entering the race, Democrat Bryan Caforio has consistently outraised the freshman Congressman, including during the most recent pre-primary reporting period. In fact, in just six months Caforio has nearly outraised what Knight raised the entire 2014 cycle.
As weak as his fundraising is, his donations tell a clear story of Knight’s priorities. For example, in his first quarter filing of 2016 with the FEC, Knight reported raising large donations from the oil and gas industries – remember this district suffered directly from the devastating Porter Ranch Gas Leak – and less than half of his money came from individuals.
Severe case of foot-in-mouth disease:
“Social Security was a bad idea” [VIDEO]
To protester: “If you touch me again, I’ll drop your ass” [VIDEO]
“I don’t support bailing out people who made a bad decision.”
English language learner classes are a “huge burden on the state”
“I have no problem telling a family, ‘Your child can stay; your child is an American citizen.’ […] But you’re going to have to go.”
KnightShade-y Practices
Voters are going to be reminded about Knight’s ethical lapses. First, he got caught trying to bilk taxpayers by charging them more than $1,000 for hotels and taxis in DC, which is expressly forbidden under House rules. Then we learned Knight had miserably failed to file the basic financial disclosure forms required from every candidate and Member of Congress. What will voters learn next?