Pretty clearly, this blog supports the progressive insurgent (with the slight residency wrinkle) Joanna Weiss in the CA-47 race against Scott Baugh, while the ironically-named Liberal OC is clearly in the bag for the corporatist insider (with the slight DUI wrinkle) Dave Min. But which Democrat has a better chance of beating Republican Scott Baugh, given that the overwhelming priority is that Democrats take back the House nationally? Well, Joanna’s team (unsurprisingly) has a new poll contending it’s Joanna! And I had some other questions I wanted to ask her, but first here’s her press release:
NEW POLL:
Joanna Weiss Is Democrats’ Only Chance to Keep CA-47 Blue
New Poll Confirms that Min Can’t Win
ORANGE COUNTY, CA – Today the Joanna Weiss for Congress campaign released a new poll confirming that she is the strongest general election candidate to take on likely Republican nominee Scott Baugh in November 2024. In a head-to-head general election match up, Weiss bests Baugh, while State Senator Dave Min proves to be an incredibly weak candidate whose recent DUI conviction is deeply concerning to a vast majority of general election voters. Voters are also very troubled by the fact that Min campaigned on a no corporate PAC pledge, and then once in office, accepted over $150,000 dollars in special interest money.
“Candidate quality matters. The poll demonstrates that Orange County voters choose Joanna Weiss’ grassroots leadership in the community over Dave Min’s longtime record of problematic judgment,” said campaign manager Emma Weinert. “Next November, we must defeat Baugh, a MAGA extremist with a criminal history who refuses to acknowledge that Joe Biden was the legitimate winner of the 2020 election and who supports a national abortion ban. The poll confirms what we have known, that Dave Min can’t win in the primary or the general election. With so much on the line, there is only one leader who will beat back Republican extremism this election — and that’s Joanna Weiss.”
KEY FINDINGS:
- Weiss leads Baugh in a general election match up, while Min trails him.
- When voters learn about Min’s damaging record, Baugh beats Min by 12 points.
- Min’s DUI raises “major doubts” for 66 percent of general election voters, including 71 percent of No Party Preference voters who are likely to decide the fate of the election.
- Min’s lie about not accepting corporate PAC money raises “major doubts” for 60 percent of voters.
Community organizer and attorney Joanna Weiss has built a broad coalition of support across Orange County and California, earning endorsements from Representatives Linda Sánchez, Eric Swalwell, Julia Brownley, Sydney Kamlager-Dove, and former Representative Harley Rouda. She also has earned endorsements from EMILYs List, Lieutenant Governor Eleni Kounalakis, Controller Malia Cohen, Assemblywoman Cottie Petrie-Norris, OC Supervisor Katrina Foley, Orange County Young Democrats, and grassroots leaders throughout the district. Weiss is on the consent calendar to earn the endorsement of the California Young Democrats at their endorsing Convention this weekend.
Weiss has raised over $1.3 million to date. She also has both the most cash on hand and more grassroots donors than her primary opponent. Based upon a recent FEC press release, Weiss is the top nonincumbent woman fundraiser in the country for a House seat in the 2024 election cycle.
###
Joanna is a former litigator and Adjunct Professor at Chapman University School of Law where she taught courses on Pre-Trial Civil Procedure and Public Interest Lawyering. Joanna served on the Board of Directors of the Public Law Center for over a decade, winning multiple awards for her legal and community leadership.
As founder of Women for American Values and Ethics (WAVE), Joanna has activated over 2,300 community members to contribute over 50,000 volunteer hours, register over 10,000 students, and raise millions to support candidates and causes in Orange County, CA.
Born and raised in Orange County, Joanna attended Capistrano Valley High School and Saddleback College, graduated from UCLA, and received her JD from USC School of Law. Joanna and her husband Jason love to surf, hike, and volunteer with their three children Leah, Will, and Audrey.
******************
So, Vern here again. I’m no expert on polls but this “checks out” I think. If we’re not hearing a bunch of Republican attacks on “DUI Dave” right now, that’s only because they HOPE he’ll be the Democrat to make it through the March primary – and THAT’S when CA-47 voters will have it beat into their heads so tiresomely that THEY’LL feel like pulling over and stumbling home in the dark.
Joanna’s biggest weakness, which is that she lives a few miles outside the district in San Juan Capistrano, doesn’t approach that level of toxicity. Of course I also like Joanna’s politics better and find her more honest. She is currently looking for a home in the district, even though it’s not necessary for Congress. And technically that will make her a “carpetbagger.” But there are so many degrees of carpetbagging, this being on the least offensive rung, as:
- She has worked and lived in that Huntington-Newport district for years.
- Moving there unnecessarily for this race, I think, shows respect to the district.
- If it’s true that only she can beat Scott Baugh, which I believe, then the 47th District NEEDS her.
- Finally, how can the Party of Michelle Steel and Young Kim, who don’t even pretend to inhabit their districts, use residency as a cudgel?
Last concern: It’s been bruited about by the Min-pologists at the Liberal OC – mostly anonymous ones of course – that Joanna refused to pledge to support whichever Democrat makes it through the March primary. Yeah I know, consider the source, but I thought I should check and straighten out the record. Well, Joanna, at the time in question, was answering whether she would pledge to support the choice of the state party straw poll, which was a kind of lame thing to ask of her.
She confirms that OF COURSE she will support Min over Baugh if Dave beat her in March. Not to do so would show a Katie Porter-like indifference to which Party controls Congress – wait, those are MY words, not Joanna’s, and did I just say that? Oh well, too late to take it back. I’ll quit while I’m ahead here. VOTE JOANNA!
Today, the protests on Culver and Barranca were heavy enough to force the cops to shut off Mimi’s parking lot. The House of REPRESENTATIVES doesn’t mean beans if this woman only sniffs as she drives through my town on the 405 or 5. At least a drunk knows where his home is.
What in the Blue Hell are you talking about?
Yeah, WHAT protests? Are you saying there were HYUGE protests over one of the Democratic candidates living outside the district? Hard to believe…
The day of her post there was a free Iran protest and Palestinian car rally in irvine.
The dense Chmielewski was moved to write a long essay about this. His biggest argument with me is that, since I had my share of DUI’s, I’m in no position to predict that the Republicans will use Dave’s DUI relentlessly against him if he makes it through the primary. Yeah, whatever, dude. So predictable. And so dense.
Well, I’ve never had a DUI, and I’ve also never been widely believed to be intoxicated at DPOC meetings to which I’d driven myself and explained it away as having used some special kind of mouthwash. So I’ll adopt these sentiments as my own and he can chug that down.
I was actually preparing to write about this. Chumley is (at least professing to be) more ignorant about polling than I had imagined. At first I thought that he was attacking Weiss for conducting a “push poll” — like “does the fact that Dave Min was arrested for drunk driving make you more or less likely to vote for him? Ok, is that slightly less, moderately less, much less, highly less, extremely less, or horrifyingly less?” (We’ll see those push polls all over the place if Min is nominated and it will not be pretty.)
But no! Weiss is doing an entirely different kind of poll — one that is not only legitimate, but extremely smart! She’s not trying to convince voters of things in a campaign message disguised as s poll. Rather, she is actually trying to learn something from voters about what they think and care about, the better to craft a powerful campaign message. That’s not only legit — it’s exactly what she should be doing right now!
Surely a competent PR professional — or even someone like notBogDan — would understand what was going on here. So my question is: is he simply trying to mislead his readers — or is he so awash in mouthwash that he imagines his criticism to make sense?
I have preferred Katie to Adam Schiff enough to incline me not to follow my heart and vote for Barbara Lee — but she’s losing me over this.
Joanna’s biggest weakness isn’t that she lives outside the district. It’s that teachers’, law enforcement and labor groups, and gun control, LGBTQ+ and Dem Party activists have rejected her.
My question is why?
Oh, for the most part that’s easy: pressure from above. As an incumbent, Min falls within the protection of the party and its leaders so long as he cooperates with them. They sell endorsement at the price of obeisance. He actually got more rather than less useful to them as a result of his DUI because now he owes them big and can be better controlled.
Not a lot of people outside of politics like that — and even a lot of people who are part of those groups will quietly invite trusted friends to join them in voting for Weiss.
This is pretty much what happened when Josh Newman beat Sukhee Kang for Senate. In fact, the more I think about it the more this race seems like that one.
Newman beat Sukhee Kang because a PAC tattooed Kang in Fullerton.
That was certainly part of it. There were others — along with his just being the better candidate.
I’m sure her husband being a partner in a union busting law firm doesn’t help.
Back that up or lose it.
1. Her husband is ________.
2. His bar number is ________.
3. His firm is ________.
4. Proof that they are in the business of union-busting can be found ________________.
It’s your assertion; I’m not obligated to go on your snipe hunt.
They went to law school together.
https://twitter.com/joannajweiss/status/1674890484152688641
https://apps.calbar.ca.gov/attorney/Licensee/Detail/185268
Jason Weiss usc Sheppard mullin
https://apps.calbar.ca.gov/attorney/Licensee/Detail/193298
Joanna Weiss – usc
https://twitter.com/CDAW_National/status/1527355512005984256 (Cadw refers to Sheppard mullin as union busting)
OK, thank you, um … Susan, I presume?
This certainly invites two questions: (1) Is her husband directly involved in this practice? (2) What are her own views on this area of practice?
Is it damning?
If the answer to (2) is “no,” that she doesn’t like it, and would work in Congress to protect labor rights even at some minimal cost to her own income then no.
Holding a spouse responsible for their spouse’s area of work, in which they are not involved, is guilt by association.
If the the answer to (1) is that he’s not involved in this area of practice, then it’s even more attenuated than that. Sheppard Mullin is a big firm with many areas of practice; he may have a more palatable (or, as common in corporate firms, at least ethically neutral) position. Beyond that, representing employers before the NLRB is nowhere near as bad as what some of the smaller boutique firms focusing on this area do. Of course, if they refer clients to those kinds of firms as part of their services, that’s bad — but again it’s not really on Joanna’s tab. Being part of a major corporate firm is always an exercise in compromise. I was lucky not to have ever agreed to work on any case at my NY firm that seemed worse than ethically neutral, although I found other of the firm’s area of practice repulsive. They did, though, pay for me to help save one asylum seeker’s life (and contribute to the welfare of many others); to help end the “stop and frisk” program for several years in NYC; to fight against Florida’s felony re-enfranchisement bar; to mentor other pro bono immigration associates; and to organize the firm’s aid for people trying to deal with Hurricane Katrina. It seems to have also funded Jason Weiss’s wife to do some really good things with her share of that support. Do you wish to condemn all corporate law, Counselor?
I remember Philibosian as being a really decent DA. Ave atque vale.
Back that up or lose it. Stop and frisk. Saved an asylum seeker. Hurricane Katrina aid. You’re making it up.
Uh, what sort of proof would suffice?
Never mind: I don’t jump through hoops for anonymous cowards. But I will say that that photo of me speaking into a landline phone? That was me talking to FEMA people about Mississippi claimants.
No judging. Just fact checking.
1) Yes
2) Who knows. She claims to have marched and fasted with Cesar Chavez when she was in high school so I assume she’s competing for union support, making her case and failing.
3) Joanna’s law license is registered at the same apartment complex as the accountant for WAVE. Bizarre if she’s still a practicing attorney, right?
Have you done any due diligence on the candidate you are supporting?
Correction: same apartment UNIT as WAVE’s accountant.
Who practices law out of an apartment unit? Sad.
FEC rules require her to cut all ties with the PAC she founded. Just wondering who is paying the rent on that apartment in Newport Beach since Weiss Iives in San Juan Capistrano.
Address is 2525 Ocean Blvd, Apt 2A, CDM 92625.
You’re a super sleuth. Who is paying for that apartment unit?
In other Sheppard mullin news,
http://www.metnews.com/articles/2023/robertphilibosian_111423.htm
https://news.bloomberglaw.com/daily-labor-report/littler-cashes-in-on-starbucks-sprawling-anti-union-campaign
(Find Sheppard mullin)
The Weisses’ appear to have sold the unit in Newport Beach to an Asian couple in March 2015.
Related reading material.
https://www.politico.com/news/2023/11/17/joanna-weiss-dave-min-dui-attacks-00127869
https://www.ocregister.com/2023/10/17/convicted-criminal-dave-min-loses-ground-in-race-for-katie-porters-seat/amp/
https://www.huffpost.com/entry/democrat-dave-min-federalist-society-joanna-weiss_n_64c18467e4b0dcb4cabb2fca/amp