As Election Day draws closer, the race between incumbent Republican David Valadao and Democratic challenger Emilio Huerta in California's 21st Congressional District is heating up. FM89's Joe Moore reports both sides have turned recently to negative TV ads in an effort to gain an edge.
If you were watching the World Series in Fresno or Bakersfield, or most any other TV program you probably heard an ad that sounded a lot like this…
PRO VALADAO AD: “This is a story of corruption, of how Emilio Huerta got rich hurting the poor.”
Or one like this…
PRO HUERTA AD: “Once the dust settles from Congressman’s Valadao’s misleading smear campaign, a shocking revelation: Valadao was named one of the most corrupt in all of Congress.”
The uptick in negative advertising is a signal that the race is growing competitive, according to Fresno State political science professor Jeff Cummins.
“I’m not surprised that Huerta has gone negative. When you’re a challenger you’ve got to give voters a reason not to vote for the incumbent,” says Cummins. But I am more surprised that Valadao has gone negative. And that means one of two things, either the race is getting that much closer and they want to frame Huerta as a suspect candidate for voters, or two, it’s a preemptive attack and that they expect the race to get closer soon.”
While the two term Republican Valadao won handily in 2012 and 2014, Democrats hold a sizable voter registration advantage in the district, which is heavily Latino. That's made it not just a local race, but one that's being watched nationally, as Democrats try to win back the House.
And that means a lot of money is flowing into the race. In addition to the $2.4 million that Valadao has raised, and the $600,000 brought in by Huerta, Super PACs on both sides are spending heavily on TV and radio ads. Republican-linked Super PACs have purchased a little over $1 million in spots supporting of Valadao, while Democratic-linked groups have put over $2 million in support of Huerta, including $600,000 in just the last 24 hours. And those numbers are likely to go up.
“Because of the 17 point registration advantage that Democrats have, I don’t think it’s a surprise that they think they are spending a lot of money to pick off this seat, because they think it should be in the Democratic camp,” says Cummins.
All of the ads contain kernels of truth, but they all also stretch the truth to the advantage of their candidates.
A group backing Huerta has an ad that attempts to link Valadao to Donald Trump.
PRO HUERTA AD: “Republican Congressman Valadao said he would absolutely support Trump. Valadao and Trump are not for us.”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xAIlPiljKQQ
Valadao did say over a year ago that he would support the Republican nominee, even if it was Donald Trump. But at the same time, he said he was backing Jeb Bush. Valadao never endorsed Trump, and in June of this year he said that he would not back the Trump campaign. He's actually been critical of the real estate mogul's comments about Latinos and women.
Both Valadao and an outside GOP group have their own ads that claim that Huerta got rich off a real estate deal involving a private company and a non-profit associated with the United Farm Workers Union, involving a quick flip of land slated for farmworker housing.
PRO VALADAO AD: “Then Huerta sold the land to developers for a million dollar profit.”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PEP3t4Ezibk
The deal in question did prompt an investigation by the California Attorney General in 2006. But while the state called the deal suspicious, they did not find sufficient grounds to take legal action against Huerta's company, or the union.
Finally, ads from a group supporting Huerta that claim that Valadao is one of the most corrupt members of Congress also have a problem. They center around a report by a Democratic-leaning think tank that called out Valadao for opposing high-speed rail. Valadao owns a dairy adjacent to the proposed high-speed rail alignment, and the train could hurt his property value. The group said his votes in opposition to the project amount to corruption.
AD: “Valadao abused his position for personal gain, benefiting his family property, worth millions.”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=31a7_ZvCE10
Valadao is accused of not properly disclosing that he stood to gain if the rail project was halted, which is a potential conflict of interest. But House rules do allow members to vote on issues that could impact their livelihoods, and in 2013 Valadao denied that his property had anything to do with his opposition to the train. The California High-Speed Rail Authority later changed its route to move away from the Valadao land, but the congressman says he still opposes the project.
If those ads aren't enough to sway voters, there's likely more to coming in the next few days, on both sides.
