House candidate Joanna Weiss ramps up DUI attacks on rival as California Democratic convention begins

LOS ANGELES — Democrat Joanna Weiss is redoubling her efforts to brand her rival’s driving under the influence record as political poison, warning party leaders that he could sink their efforts to retake the House.

The push against state Sen. Dave Min comes as California Democrats gather at their state convention, where he is poised to scoop up the party’s nomination for the seat currently held by Rep. Katie Porter — a battleground district in Orange County that Republicans see as a top takeover target.

Weiss’ campaign is aggressively circulating internal poll findings to party committees, convention delegates, labor groups, major donors and others in a memo that asserts Min’s vulnerabilities “all but guarantee” that he would lose to Scott Baugh, the most likely Republican candidate, in the general election.

“Dave Min is a permanently damaged candidate who cannot hold this seat for Democrats,” said Emma Weinert, Weiss’ campaign manager.

Min's team called the move from the Weiss campaign "desperate and dishonest" and "politics at its worst."

"Dave Min is the strongest candidate to beat Scott Baugh. That’s why he has been endorsed by the California Democratic Party, Congresswoman Katie Porter, law enforcement and organized labor," said Amelia Matier, Min's campaign spokesperson. "We trust voters will see past the Weiss campaign's shameless attempt to distract attention from her loss at the convention.”

The argument over who is the most electable Democrat to succeed Porter in a swing seat has percolated for months. Min, a Korean American who lives in Irvine, the biggest city in the district, says he can best appeal to Asian Americans who make up 20 percent of the electorate. Weiss, who founded a women’s grassroots political group in Orange County, has pitched her ability to galvanize suburban women who were key to flipping the once-conservative bastion blue in 2018.

The contest has also centered on Min’s viability after the lawmaker was caught running a red light in May and arrested on suspicion of driving under the influence. He pleaded no contest and was sentenced to probation. This latest salvo marks a new phase in the primary battle, as the campaigns have offered dueling polling over whether Min remains a winning candidate after his legal woes.

Weiss’ campaign survey tested reaction to seeing television news coverage of the incident — which includes footage of the arrest — followed by negative messaging. It found Min’s unfavorability rating climbed substantially after viewing the 75-second video and that his popularity was especially damaged with Democrats and independent voters.

“In a competitive campaign where Republicans will be investing heavily, Min’s arrest will almost certainly be broadcast to the whole district,” the campaign memo asserts.

Ben Tulchin, a Democratic pollster who was asked by Min’s campaign to review the write-up, said a 75-second ad would be prohibitively expensive in the pricey Los Angeles media market, meaning voters in the wild would be unlikely to see such messaging.

“If you're going to test it, test in a way a voter is going to see or hear it,” said Tulchin, who does not work for Min. “If you give them a lot more information than they'll ever hear, it's not quite a real simulated test.”

Min’s team released findings this June that a plurality of voters do not find the DUI to be a convincing reason to vote against him. The poll commissioned by Min did not mention details that could wind up in attack ads, such as the fact he was driving a state-owned car. His campaign has also touted endorsements from law enforcement groups as a counterpoint to potential attacks.

In an interview with POLITICO, Min said he believed “voters in next year’s election will judge me not just on the worst single moment in my life.”