An early look at Democrats’ battleground messaging

Presented by Amazon: Inside the Golden State political arena

Aug 21, 2024 View in browser   By Lara Korte and Dustin Gardiner Presented by  Democrats in California’s battleground House districts have unleashed a torrent of ads targeting Republican incumbents like Rep. David Valadao. | Graeme Sloan/Sipa USA/Newscom THE BUZZ: SHOW TIME — Democrats in California’s battleground districts are wasting no time getting their message out to voters. A slate of new ads began popping up last week — ahead of what’s expected to be a full-on media blitz for races that could determine control of the House — giving us a taste of the themes candidates will be targeting in the coming months. Republicans have long been hitting their opponents on gas prices, taxes and the cost of living, but Dems see an opening to bash GOP incumbents on the sky-high price of homes. A House Majority Forward ad, deployed in both Spanish and English last week in Rep. David Valadao’s Central Valley seat, talks about rising rents and how hard it is to buy a home — pointing out that Valadao voted against the 2022 Inflation Reduction Act, which included funding for affordable housing. “I think you will see a lot of housing ads in the fall,” said one Democratic strategist involved in House campaigns who was granted anonymity to discuss strategy. “Democrats can win a costs messaging battle if we take the issue of housing and make it ours.” If the initial ad buys are any indication, we could see both sides spending big in these critical seats. The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee just this week announced $28 million for its first round of advertising across the nation, saying the PAC was “prioritizing securing inventory in crowded and expensive broadcast media markets,” including in California. That came on the heels of another multimillion-dollar ad buy from the progressive nonprofit House Majority Forward, which last month reserved more than $17 million in advertising for key districts in July and August, including more than $3.4 million in California media markets. Under election law, ads from the nonprofits have to run before Labor Day. Last week the group launched English- and Spanish-language spots targeting swing-district Republicans’ records on abortion and housing in Congress. Republican groups like the Congressional Leadership Fund and National Republican Congressional Committee are also stacking up millions worth of ad reservations in target districts. In Rep. Ken Calvert’s Palm Springs seat, the conservative Americans 4 Security PAC aired an ad looking to align Democratic challenger Will Rollins with Vice President Kamala Harris and her “radical agenda,” calling him a “mirror image of the worst the liberal left has to offer.” Abortion rights will continue to be a reliable issue for Democrats in a post-Roe America, especially when they’re competing in districts with large blocs of college-educated women, like those in Orange County. A recently-launched ad against GOP Rep. Michelle Steel accuses her of trying to “ban abortion in California.” But we’re also seeing that narrative further north, in more rural parts of the state. The House Majority PAC deployed an attack against Central Valley Rep. John Duarte last week, knocking him in Spanish-language and English-language ads on abortion access. Most of these themes are likely to be replicated in races across the state and country. But one attack against Rep. Mike Garcia is more narrowly tailored. Democrats have seized on a suspicious stock sale Garcia made in 2020, hoping it will cause enough turbulence to flip the Northern Los Angeles County district. Garcia sold up to $50,000 in Boeing stock in August 2020, according to a Daily Beast report last year on the sale. At the time, Garcia sat on the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, which was in the midst of investigating the company’s handling of crashes involving its 737 Max Airliner. An ad released by the DCCC last month featured a montage of local news anchors reporting on the Daily Beast story, as well as disapproving person-on-the-street interviews with local voters. GOOD MORNING. Happy Wednesday. Thanks for waking up with Playbook. Today is the third day of the Democratic National Convention. Read more below on all the California updates from Chicago… And follow our @ccadelago and @melmason for reports on the ground. You can text us at ‪916-562-0685‬‪ — save it as “CA Playbook” in your contacts. Or drop us a line at lkorte@politico.com and dgardiner@politico.com, or on X — @DustinGardiner and @Lara_Korte. WHERE’S GAVIN? In Chicago for the DNC. With both Newsom and Lt. Gov. Eleni Kounalakis at the convention, Senate President pro Tem Mike McGuire is in charge.   A message from Amazon: Kyle started Pawstruck to provide healthy and affordable dog treats. He turned to Amazon to take his products national. “Amazon helped us take our business to the next level,” he said. Fulfillment by Amazon costs 70% less on average than comparable two-day shipping options. Learn more.   CALIFORNIA AT THE DNC Gov. Gavin Newsom speaks from the floor of the Democratic National Convention in Chicago on Tuesday night. | AP SIGNED, SEALED, DELIVERED — Gov. Gavin Newsom led California's delegation in delivering the final 482 delegates Tuesday night to make Harris the party’s nominee — a moment choreographed to promote intraparty unity. Newsom — who stood alongside former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, Rep. Maxine Waters and state Democratic Chair Rusty Hicks — boasted that Harris’ home state is the world’s most diverse democracy and the place where the future “happens first.” As he spoke, the late rapper Tupac Shakur's ode to the Golden State blared from speakers in the convention hall. The governor, who’s been slow to campaign on Harris’ behalf after serving as a top Biden surrogate, gushed about Harris’ long career as a prosecutor, former San Francisco district attorney, California attorney general, senator and vice president. “Kamala Harris has always done the right thing,” Newsom said, “a champion for voting rights, civil rights, LGBTQ Rights, the rights for women and girls.” Rapper Lil Jon performs on the second day of the Democratic National Convention on Tuesday. | Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images MEET AND GREET — Party conventions aren't just an opportunity to wear a silly hat or stock up placards, buttons and other political swag. For the party's most committed activists, it's an unbeatable scouting opportunity to see the newest crop of rising political talent. The California delegation breakfasts are a crucial spot on the convention circuit for Democrats who have garnered buzz as future presidential candidates. On Tuesday alone, the delegates were wooed by a triumvirate of Midwestern governors — JB Pritzker of Illinois, Josh Shapiro of Pennsylvania and Gretchen Whitmer of Michigan. None were explicitly pitching themselves as White House aspirants, of course. Their speeches were mostly meant to rally the Democratic troops for the upcoming November elections. They just so happened to seize the opportunity to sprinkle in some biographical details and brag about their governing records. The merry-go-round of delegate breakfasts can be relentless. Pritzker attended at least five gatherings on Tuesday; Shapiro visited South Carolina along with California that morning and had dropped by four other states the previous day. And while most of the attention is lavished on early nominating states or general election battlegrounds, California — with the largest delegation of the party and fundraising prowess — remains a crucial stop. "For a national figure, it just seems you have to come to California," said David Campos, vice chair of the California Democratic Party. The three governors — all of whom were seen as potential contenders when President Biden dropped off the ticket until VP Harris swiftly sewed up the party's backing — displayed distinctly different styles. Pritzker played the role of low-key host, urging delegates to pair Illinois craft beer with one of Chicago's signature hot dogs. Shapiro displayed more oratory flourish, drawing on his state's role in the founding of the nation. And Whitmer delivered a bite-sized 90-second hype speech that urged attendees to keep up their energy until Friday, when she gave them permission to take a "40 hour nap." — Melanie Mason   A message from Amazon:   SAN FRANCISCO A photo released by the San Francisco Police Department shows more than $200,000 worth of stolen retail goods seized from a single home. | San Francisco Police Department via AP BUMP IN THE ROAD — San Francisco officials were caught off guard last week when the Assembly Appropriations Committee shelved a bill designed to help the city crack down on the widespread sale of stolen goods by street vendors — but they aren’t giving up yet. State Sen. Scott Wiener and San Francisco Mayor London Breed say they’ll try to revive the bill before the end of lawmakers’ session next week, likely by gutting and amending another one of Wiener’s defunct bills. Wiener said it’s a mystery why the bill was held last week. It had sailed through the Assembly with little opposition and even had the support of merchants groups and vendors from the city’s immigrant Mission neighborhood. There was no direct associated cost for the state. His Senate Bill 925 would have allowed the city to require vendors to have permits to sell toiletries and other types of goods commonly stolen from retail stores, such as shampoo, laundry detergent and vitamins — an approach Wiener said allows police to target theft rings without harming mom-and-pop vendors. TOP TALKERS Tony West, Harris' brother-in-law and campaign adviser, speaks during an event on AI. | Steve Overly/POLITICO HARRIS ON AI — Harris wants to keep the U.S. competitive on artificial intelligence while mitigating potential harm from deepfakes and other misleading AI-generated content, Harris’ brother-in-law told POLITICO’s Steven Overly at the DNC yesterday. “She's concerned about these calls that your grandmother might be getting where a person sounds like you, but it's not you, and anybody can pick up an app and basically create these kinds of deepfakes,” said Tony West, who has been advising her campaign. DEFROSTED — New York Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez on Tuesday praised California Rep. Nancy Pelosi’s decision to step aside from Democratic House leadership and “gracefully” hand the torch to Hakeem Jefferies, The Daily Beast reports — a warm gesture that contrasts a historically icy relationship between the two lawmakers. CHRONICALLY ONLINE — “Feral 25 year olds” are running Kamala Harris’ social media, and it’s working, POLITICO’s Madison Fernandez reports from the DNC. Harris deputy campaign manager Rob Flaherty said the strategy relies on the young digital natives being “aware of the meme without being the meme.” CLIMATE AND ENERGY CALIFORNIA UNCONFORMED — Federal tax credits are helping fuel a clean energy boom across the U.S. But in California, unlike other states, clean developers have to pay a tax on Inflation Reduction Act benefits. Find out more in last night’s California Climate. AROUND THE STATE Aysha Abraibesh leads a chant as pro-Palestinian demonstrators block commute traffic on the Golden Gate Bridge on Feb. 14, 2024, in San Francisco. | Noah Berger/AP — Lawyers representing pro-Palestine protesters that blocked the Golden Gate Bridge this spring say San Francisco District Attorney Brooke Jenkins should step aside, citing a bottle of wine gifted to Jenkins from the Israeli government. (San Francisco Chronicle) — California schools are embracing smartphone bans. But some kids have found creative ways to sidestep the crackdown. (CalMatters) — San Mateo-based camera maker GoPro is cutting 15 percent of its workforce later this year to reduce expenses. (Reuters) — Los Angeles has agreed to spend $20 million on improvements to a wastewater plant — a settlement with federal prosecutors after the facility spilled millions of gallons of sewage in Santa Monica Bay. (Los Angeles Times)   A message from Amazon: Amazon has partnered with small and medium-sized businesses for over 23 years, connecting local businesses like Pawstruck with customers across the country. More than 60% of products in Amazon’s store come from independent sellers, most of which are small to medium-sized businesses. Learn how Amazon breaks down barriers to growth.   PLAYBOOKERS PEOPLE MOVES — Phillip Antablin has joined the employment law firm Littler as a shareholder in its Century City office in Los Angeles. He was previously senior counsel at Epstein Becker Green. BIRTHDAYS — Adam Rosenblatt of Bold Decision WANT A SHOUT-OUT FEATURED? — Send us a birthday, career move or another special occasion to include in POLITICO’s California Playbook. You can now submit a shout-out using this Google form. CALIFORNIA POLICY IS ALWAYS CHANGING: Know your next move. From Sacramento to Silicon Valley, POLITICO California Pro provides policy professionals with the in-depth reporting and tools they need to get ahead of policy trends and political developments shaping the Golden State. To learn more about the exclusive insight and analysis this subscriber-only service offers, click here. Want to make an impact? POLITICO California has a variety of solutions available for partners looking to reach and activate the most influential people in the Golden State. Have a petition you want signed? A cause you’re promoting? Seeking to increase brand awareness amongst this key audience? Share your message with our influential readers to foster engagement and drive action. Contact Rebecca Haase to find out how: rhaase@politico.com.   Follow us on Twitter Dustin Gardiner @dustingardiner Lara Korte @lara_korte   Subscribe to the POLITICO Playbook family Playbook  |  Playbook PM  |  California Playbook  |  Florida Playbook  |  Illinois Playbook  |  Massachusetts Playbook  |  New Jersey Playbook  |  New York Playbook  |  Ottawa Playbook  |  Brussels Playbook  |  London Playbook View all our political and policy newsletters Follow us

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