'State of the Race': Dems seek GOP wipeout in California
IRVINE, Calif. - The shared workspace in a suburban office park just across the street from the University of California Irvine bustles with young employees walking between glass-walled conference rooms with purpose.
Some work for tech startups, like a virtual photo booth company. Others work for a gumball machine distributor.
And still others work for another new type of startup that Orange County hasn't seen in recent years: A serious and professionally run Democratic congressional campaign.
For generations, Orange County has been the bastion of Western conservatism, the foundation on which Republicans such as Richard Nixon, Ronald Reagan and Pete Wilson built their statewide campaigns. As recently as 2000, the Republican presidential nominee, George W. Bush, spent precious time campaigning here.
But after Hillary Clinton became the first Democrat to win Orange County since Franklin Roosevelt, Democrats now believe several congressional seats in the Los Angeles suburbs and exurbs are critical to their hopes of reclaiming the House of Representatives this November.
They just have to learn how to run a campaign here, in districts where the party has not been seriously competitive for decades - and how to overcome roadblocks Republicans have erected in the lead-up to the midterm elections.
"We've never run a top-tier, top-flight, well-funded, professional campaign to win here," said Katie Porter, a law professor running against Rep. Mimi Walters (R).
Democrats are trying to learn how to build their capacity, and fast. The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee opened a satellite office at another suburban office park about 15 minutes away from Porter's headquarters, from which it coordinates field programs aimed at knocking on doors in critical districts.
https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/politics/state-of-the-race-dems-seek-gop-wipeout-in-california/ar-BBLLcf2?li=BBnb7Kz
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