The duality of JD Vance

Presented by Elected Officials to Protect America - Code Blue: Inside the Golden State political arena

Aug 01, 2024 View in browser   By Lara Korte and Dustin Gardiner Presented by Elected Officials to Protect America - Code Blue Vice presidential candidate JD Vance appears to have easily captured the affections of California’s wealthy Central Valley donors. | Paul Vernon/AP THE BUZZ: KOW TOW IN COWTOWN — There was something in the air at Harris Ranch — and it wasn’t just the smell of cow manure. Despite some early accounts of a negative reception from Republicans, vice presidential candidate JD Vance appears to have easily captured the affections of California’s wealthy Central Valley donors. The Ohio senator made the time-honored pilgrimage to the iconic Harris Ranch hotel/restaurant resort along Interstate 5 on Wednesday, where farmers, ranchers and local Republican officials were eager to talk to the VP pick about threats to water and the agriculture industry. It was a far different crowd than the one that packed into a Palo Alto ballroom on Monday to hear Vance talk about cryptocurrency and criticize the head of the Securities and Exchange Commission, but the halls were buzzing with the same excitement about the young VP pick whose famed journey out of rural poverty has made him a sympathetic figure to those in the region. "He understands our needs," Bakersfield Republican Rep. Vince Fong told Playbook while waiting for the luncheon to start. "A lot of the debates are unfortunately dominated by urban centers, and so now, having someone who understands the working-class challenges and having that perspective in major policy discussions is critically important." Stan Ellis, a Bakersfield Republican who owns a quantum physics lab, was one of about 15 donors who got to sit down with Vance for a roundtable discussion, where they spoke about the valley's water issues, competition with China, and other problems facing the agriculture industry. During an address to a larger crowd that was closed to the press, Vance told attendees he intends to deliver "the truth" about Harris' campaign, according to multiple people in the audience, who said he highlighted the differences between the Trump and Biden administrations’ influence on things like the cost the of living and border security. "I like him because he's straightforward," Ellis said. "He delivered his message well, and he's young." Former President Donald Trump is certain to lose in California, but several of the state’s House races this cycle could determine control of Congress, including two Central Valley seats held by vulnerable Republicans. One of those incumbents, Rep. John Duarte, was on hand Wednesday to hear Vance’s speech. Both his district and the one held by GOP Rep. David Valadao voted for President Joe Biden by more than 10 points in 2020. But since then, Duarte argued, voters have grown disillusioned by Democrats and are hungering for the kind of message Vance is carrying. “We're seeing a lot of support for candidates that will talk about affordability, opportunity, the American dream, American energy … I think we're gonna have a good reception here,” he said at the fundraiser. Democrats meanwhile have been seizing every opportunity to tie Republican House members to the more abrasive rhetoric coming out of the Trump-Vance campaign. Vance has largely refrained from personal attacks against Harris on the trail, but Trump on Wednesday caught serious heat for suggesting the vice president only recently became Black — an accusation he made to an auditorium of Black journalists.  At Harris Ranch on Wednesday, just outside of the fundraising event, the roadside restaurant still experienced its normal traffic of I-5 travelers who filtered in and out for bathroom breaks and a bite to eat. Jann Driver Martelli, a retired pharma rep from Palm Desert and a lifelong Democrat, was traveling back from Tacoma with her husband when they stopped to charge their electric vehicle and eat lunch. Martelli told Playbook that she takes particular umbrage at Vance's rhetoric around women and family, including his recently resurfaced and instantly viral 2021 comment about “childless cat ladies” running the Democratic party. She said the decision to have kids shouldn't be a political talking point. "Really, why do you care?" she said of Republicans. — with help from Debra Khan.  GOOD MORNING. Happy Thursday. Thanks for waking up with Playbook. 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? Out of state for personal travel. Lt. Gov. Eleni Kounalakis is in charge until he returns this weekend.   A message from Elected Officials to Protect America - Code Blue: Californians are counting on legislators to protect communities from deadly fossil fuel pollution and hold the oil industry accountable. California legislators: pass the Make Polluters Pay Package to hold the fossil fuel industry accountable, protect tax dollars, and public health. Pass AB 1866: The Idle Well Cleanup Bill, AB 2716: Low Producing Well Accountability Act, and AB 3233:Local Environmental Choice and Safety Act. Learn more.   ON THE HILL A bipartisan delegation will unveil legislation that would require USPS to create a plan to ensure its mail-delivery trucks are fairly distributed. | Mario Tama/Getty Images FIRST IN PLAYBOOK: POST HASTE — California House members have had it with what they call the U.S. Postal Service’s neglect of the West Coast. A bipartisan delegation of 10 lawmakers, led by Democratic Rep. Jim Costa, will today unveil legislation that would require the agency to create a plan to ensure its mail-delivery trucks are fairly distributed by region, and to report to Congress annually about it. The lawmakers warn that USPS customers in California and throughout the West are likely to suffer service delays due to a shortage of modern delivery trucks relative to the East Coast. They want an equal share of newer, environmentally-friendly trucks on this side of the Rocky Mountains. “Such disparities not only compromise the efficiency of our postal services but also underscore a worrying inequity in resource distribution nationwide,” Costa and supporters of the bill wrote in a recent letter to U.S. Postmaster General Louis DeJoy.   Live briefings, policy trackers, and procedural, industry, and people intelligence from POLITICO Pro Analysis gives you the insights you need to focus your policy strategy this election cycle. Secure your seat.      CASH DASH FIRST IN PLAYBOOK: PESKIN’S HAUL — San Francisco Board of Supervisors President Aaron Peskin reports raising nearly $1.5 million in the first months of his mayoral campaign, with a majority of donors residing in San Francisco. The total amount includes $937,032 in public financing that has either been matched or officially submitted for matching to the city’s ethics commission. Since launching in April, the campaign has spent $363,000 and has $1,125,000 cash on hand. That’s still far behind the $3.82 million raised in support of Daniel Lurie as of July 22, and the $1.6 million backing Mayor London Breed’s reelection bid, but Peskin’s campaign argues it's quickly making up for lost time after starting a year after the other candidates. “We are never going to outraise billionaires; that is not our goal,” said Peskin. “Our goal is to inspire the electorate, show that our city cannot be bought for personal gain and win this election.” ANTONIO ON FIRE — Democrat Antonio Villaraigosa raised more than $1.5 million over the first week of his 2026 campaign for California governor. The huge haul is more than some of the other contenders brought in during six months of campaigning. POLITICO scooped the news Wednesday. FIRST IN PLAYBOOK: BONTA’S BIG HAUL — Attorney General Rob Bonta — who is considering a run for governor himself — raised $1.44 million over the first half of 2024. The figure is notable because attorneys general can only raise one-quarter of the amount that candidates for governor can from a single source.   A message from Elected Officials to Protect America - Code Blue:   CAMPAIGN YEAR CALIFORNIA SENATE RACE — Voters could see Republican Steve Garvey and Democratic Rep. Adam Schiff debate twice more before the November election. Garvey on Wednesday announced that he has agreed to two debates hosted by California news stations at unspecified dates. When reached by Playbook, a spokesperson for Schiff said the campaign is in communication with both debate organizers. STATE CAPITOL PRESS INQUIRY — A bill from state Sen. Steve Glazer that would charge Big Tech to fund local journalism is still very much alive after passing the Senate — and he’s asking newsrooms to back it. Glazer’s office in an email Wednesday asked nine news organizations if they would write an editorial or column supporting the legislation, which would funnel advertising revenue from Meta, Amazon and Google into a $500 million tax credit aimed at helping California newsrooms hire and employ journalists, among other things. The email pitched Glazer’s bill as an “effort to break the cycle of newsroom cutbacks and closures” — a stark contrast to ads from the California Taxpayers Association that claim it would weaken the state’s economy and hurt small businesses. The California News Publishers Association has yet to take a stance on the bill. Brittney Barsotti, general counsel for the group, previously told POLITICO some of its members had concerns about “the government deciding who is and who is not a journalist or qualifying publication.” — Tyler Katzenberger   A message from Elected Officials to Protect America - Code Blue: The fossil fuel industry is spending millions to undermine the Make Polluters Pay Legislative Package which seeks to protect communities and hold polluters accountable for the mess they made. Will California leaders take this opportunity to choose the fiscally responsible route, making polluters pay and protecting Californians from the health and climate harms of the oil industry? California legislators: pass the Make Polluters Pay Bill Package – AB 1866: The Idle Well Cleanup Bill, AB 2716: The Low Producing Well Accountability Act, and AB 3233: The Local Environmental Choice and Safety Act. These bills are supported by a diverse coalition of climate, public health, environmental justice, youth, and faith advocates. Learn more.   CLIMATE AND ENERGY VALLEY FEVER — Central Valley farmers like Trump's promises to bring them more water, and they showed up for Vance at the lunch fundraiser in Coalinga yesterday. But they're also playing both sides. Read more about their political calculus in yesterday's California Climate. Top Talkers NOTES FROM A VEEP VETTING VET: Beth Myers — who led Mitt Romney’s VP search in 2012 — sat down with POLITICO’s Catherine Kim to explain the challenging and laborious process of selecting a running mate. Myers said Harris’ rushed timeline is less than ideal but offered a simple word of advice: “She doesn’t want the same rollout that JD Vance had.” WEINSTEIN EXTRADITION?: Disgraced former Hollywood titan Harvey Weinstein may be extradited back to California after Gov. Gavin Newsom signed a warrant seeking his transfer from New York, the Los Angeles Times’ Noah Goldberg and Taryn Luna reported Wednesday. Weinstein was convicted of rape in New York and California but has so far only served prison time in the Empire State. His New York rape conviction was overturned in April and will be retried in September, though underlying charges remain. His California conviction is still under appeal. AROUND THE STATE — California is experiencing its most severe start to a wildfire season in the past 16 years. (The Mercury News) — Shasta County Sheriff Michael Johnson said he had nothing to do with the county board’s highly restrictive new media policy that requires reporters to record meetings from a separate room. (Shasta Scout) — A traveler infected with measles flew into Los Angeles International Airport and traveled to Orange County last Friday. Individuals who were inside the airport terminal from about 2:30 to 4 p.m. that day could be at risk of developing measles, health officials said. (Los Angeles Times) PLAYBOOKERS PEOPLE MOVES — Olivia Perez-Cubas is now a director of corporate communications in the D.C. office of the Walt Disney Company. She most recently was managing director of strategic comms for Bullpen Strategy Group and is a Nikki Haley and Marco Rubio alum. BIRTHDAYS — State Sen. Toni Atkins, whose favorite dessert is egg custard pie, but “if it has to be cake, it would be carrot cake.”... Rep. Josh Harder... CalMatters’ Adam Ashton… POLITICO’s Lara Korte… 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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