The campaign arm of Democrats in the U.S. House of Representatives set its sights on a surprising target Thursday: Democratic congressional hopeful Laura Moser.
The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee posted negative research on Moser, a Houston journalist vying among six other Democrats in the March 6 primary to unseat Republican U.S. Rep. John Culberson. Democrats locally and nationally have worried that Moser is too liberal to carry a race that has emerged in recent months as one of the most competitive races in the country.
The DCCC posting, which features the kind of research that is often reserved for Republicans, notes that Moser only recently moved back to her hometown of Houston and that much of her campaign fundraising money has gone to her husband's political consulting firm. It also calls her a "Washington insider." — www.texastribune.org/...
By “Washington Insider” what the DCCC means is that Laura Moser’s husband, Arun Chaudhary worked in the Obama administration. That’s their daughter throwing a tantrum in the picture on the right.
Chaudhary worked for the Obama 2008 campaign, then joined the White House as its first videographer. He left in 2011 to join the progressive digital media company Revolution Messaging. Laura Moser worked as a freelance journalist for most of their time in DC.
So what exactly is going on here? Why does the DCCC think Laura Moser is “too liberal” to carry the district. Why does the DCCC think they need to put a finger on the scale and determine who Democrats in TX-7 pick as their candidate?.
And what about “Washington Insider”. That’s a curious turn of phrase. Why does the DCCC’s attack on a progressive candidate sound like something the Republican party might have come up with. Oh right, it may have something to do with the candidate selection role the Blue Dog Coalition is playing at the DCCC.
In Moser’s case, it might also have something to do with who else is running:
Also running is Lizzie Pannill Fletcher, a corporate lawyer who is backed by Houston mega-donor Sherry Merfish. EMILY’s List endorsed her in November. The 7th District includes parts of Houston and its wealthy western suburbs, and Merfish and her husband, Gerald Merfish, are among the city’s leading philanthropists. Gerald Merfish owns and runs a steel pipe company in the oil-rich region and Sherry Merfish, who worked for decades for EMILY’s List, is a major donor to the Democratic Party and to EMILY’s List. — theintercept.com/...
Ah yes, backed by major donors. I guess all Democratic candidates are equal, but some are just more equal than others. At least when it comes to the DCCC, and apparently Emily’s List as well.
Except, there are sometimes inconvenient facts associated with Lizzie Fletcher...
But Fletcher’s legal work for “those in need” has caused her problems in the campaign. The firm where she is a partner largely represents employers and won a major case against local janitorial workers, who were predominantly immigrants. The firm boasted, in its effort to attract future business from employers, that it won the case in part by studying the social media feeds of the jury pool to make sure the jury was stacked with Trump supporters. PJS, the firm’s client, was involved with Empower Texans, a right-wing group working to undermine organized labor in Texas. — theintercept.com/...
That history led the local AFL-CIO chapter to vote to “non-endorse” Fletcher and an associate from her firm Adam Milasinic, who is running for the Democratic nomination in TX House district 138. The AFL-CIO chapter explains how Milasinic referred to union witnesses as “mob bosses” and “union thugs” in the courtroom. The case involved largely immigrant janitorial workers who were seeking to unionize. Several immigrant witnesses were intimidated by “investigatory” visits that Fletcher’s firm made to their homes.
Local union members are actively working to ensure neither Fletcher nor Milasinic receives the Democratic nomination.
PS. If you’d like to donate to progressive candidates running for Congress in this cycle, here’s my Act Blue list. But better yet, volunteer!
— @subirgrewal