Why Political Types In DC Don't Seem To Ever Know Anything About America

The Inland Empire is represented in Congress by wanna-be Confederate General Gary Miller, a multimillionaire real estate swindler

There are 4 serious candidates in the Inland Empire house race (CA-31), reactionary Arkansas Republican incumbent Gary Miller, progressive activist Eloise Reyes, former Congressman Joe Baca (Blue Dog), and the Steve Israel/DCCC recruit and last cycle's big loser, Pete Aguilar. As we mentioned recently, the DCCC put out some crazy story that Aguilar lost-- in a deep blue district-- not because he's an abysmal candidate but because he was too grief-stricken over the death of his father on election day. But that was a lie perpetrated for Beltway fools by the Cook Report. Herman Aguilar is very much alive and well and always has been. The Cook Report reportage comes from the DCCC and the NRCC so of course it's worthless and the report of Herman Aguilar's demise is still on their website as the excuse for Aguilar losing. But Cook isn't the only Beltway outfit misreporting this crucial race in a far off district none of them have ever visited or understand in the slightest.

This weekend the FEC candidate filings for the 4th quarter were released. They're not very hard to read. But the pros at both Politico and The Hill managed to get it wrong-- and wrong enough to completely distort the on the ground reality of the race… in favor of the DCCC narrative. What a coincidence! First the unvarnished facts:

• Eloise Gomez Reyes raised $302,084
• Gary Miller raised $148,943
• Pete Aguilar raised $147,086
• Joe Baca raised $20,484

Call me crazy but I would think the story there is that Eloise Reyes, a first time, grassroots candidate up against The Machine, out raised all 3 of her opponents combined. But this is how the story is being told to naïfs Inside the Beltway. First The Hill:

Former Rep. Joe Baca (D-Calif.): $20,000 raised, $21,000 cash on hand

Baca is seeking a return to Congress in Rep. Gary Miller’s (R-Calif.) district after losing a 2012 race post-redistricting to Rep. Gloria Negrete McLeod (D-Calif.)-- but it’s looking increasingly like he has no chance of even advancing past the top-two primary in the Democratic-leaning seat.

He has been shunned by national party strategists-- the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee is backing Redlands Mayor Pete Aguilar (D), while EMILY’s List is supporting attorney Eloise Gomez Reyes (D). Gomez Reyes had the most impressive quarter of the Democrats, with $300,000 raised, and she and Aguilar both have around half-million dollars for the race. Miller has $840,000 in the bank after a strong $364,000 quarter.

Miller didn't have a strong quarter despite what the NRCC may have fed The Hill. A glance at the FEC page shows clearly he raised $148,943-- not $364,000-- and that he spent $78,977. I'm sure The Hill will correct their misinformation. Sure, I am. Politico was even more cockeyed but how can you blame them when all they did was report the DCCC spin as though it was news. This is their analysis of the numbers I just laid out for you above:

Cash-starved: Top 10 fundraising losers

When Baca announced that he would be trying to unseat vulnerable GOP Rep. Gary Miller it surprised, well, just about everyone. After all, Baca, a former Democratic congressman who represented a nearby Southern California district, had once been a Miller ally.

At this point, it’s not clear whether Baca’s waging a serious campaign. He raised a paltry $20,000 during the fourth quarter, far less than what most of his opponents brought in. The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee has rallied around one of Baca’s Democratic primary foes, Redlands Mayor Pete Aguilar, who raised about seven times more cash than Baca did last quarter.

Several California incumbents have told me that Steve Israel came to them, directly and/or through intermediaries, asking them to back Aguilar as the only way to stop Baca. He misled them into thinking it was a 2-man race. When one more savvy incumbent asked about Reyes, he was assured that only Aguilar was a serious candidate and that she couldn't raise any money and would drop out. Looks like Politico fell for the same bullshit. Maybe they should start doing their homework... like real newspaper reporters do.