Before yesterday, the race for brand-name endorsements from rent-seekers was largely between Eric Swalwell and Tom Steyer:
But yesterday, the powerful California Labor Federation led by Sacramento’s sharpest political tactician Lorena Gonzalez endorsed four candidates (Swalwell, Steyer, Katie Porter and Antonio Villaraigosa). Now the candidates await a key endorsement decision from California Teachers’ Association.
Endorsements from brand-name rent-seekers are often more valuable to candidates than cash because the voting public doesn’t know that brand-name endorsers are often commercial enterprises no different than utilities, oil companies and others that do business in the State Capitol. When it comes to operating in Sacramento, CNA is no different than Chevron except that nurses are more admired than oil companies and voters don’t know that CNA’s members collect more than $6 billion every year from appropriations made by lawmakers CNA helps to elect.
Meanwhile, the candidate I support, Matt Mahan, appeared recently on Jon Stewart and Sam Harris and an independent expenditure campaign for Mahan for which I am helping to raise money just released this ad in Southern California. You can support Matt by making direct donations to his campaign and contributing to an independent expenditure campaign for Mahan through Matt Rodriguez, who you can contact here.
