NRCC Weekly Rundown: CA-21 Dems Remain a Mess, Mike Derrick Defends Obama, and Pete Gallego’s Dirty Money

Happy first week of November! Here’s your latest NRCC Weekly Rundown:

CA-21 Dems (Still) in Disarray

It was only a few Weekly Rundowns ago that we told you about the DCCC’s efforts to recruit Connie Perez to run in CA-21, much to the irritation of local Democrats who were backing their preferred candidate Daniel Parra. This kicked off some ugly infighting over Perez’s residency outside the district, and Parra’s “paltry” fundraising. In a district that Democrats have lost by double-digits the last two elections, they were already off to a bad start.

Believe it or not though, it got even more embarrassing for Democrats this week, especially the DCCC: Less than a month after launching her campaign, Perez announced she was suspending it. This leaves Democrats with the third-tier Parra to “serve as a sacrificial lamb” against David Valadao.

Mike Derrick Defends Obama’s NDAA Veto; Rick Nolan Keeps Opposing It Altogether

Mike Derrick is making it a habit of aligning himself as closely to the Pelosi-Obama agenda as he can. The latest example is his defense of President Obama’s veto of the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA).

After the president vetoed the NDAA last month (a bill that has been signed into law for more than 50 consecutive years), Derrick approved of the president’s decision, even though it would mean no pay raises for the troops and their families, as well as preventing funding for programs for victims of sexual assault and suicide prevention. The veto also blocked provisions in the NDAA that would prevent Fort Drum from being subjected to another round of BRAC base closures. Derrick is standing by President Obama when he should be standing by NY-21 residents and our soldiers.

Meanwhile, Rick Nolan continued to add to his list of votes that are on the wrong side of national security. The Minnesota Democrat was one of a handful of members to vote against the NDAA despite the fact it ensured funding for all the vital and important programs mentioned above. Even though the bill enjoyed overwhelming bipartisan support, it wasn’t good enough for someone as far-left as Nolan. It shouldn’t come as too much of a surprise: This is the same Rick Nolan who has voted to transfer Guantanamo Bay inmates to U.S. soil and to cut off funding to our Kurdish allies in the fight against ISIS.

It’s Time for Pete Gallego to Return His Dirty Money

Democratic mega-donor and “stalwart” Mikal Watts has been under federal investigation for fraud for years, but that didn’t stop Texas Democrat Pete Gallego from taking his money. The NRCC is now calling on Gallego to return the thousands of dollars he received from Watts.

Watts was indicted for fraud after “submitting thousands of false claims for damages from the 2010 Gulf of Mexico oil spill.” According to one report, more than half of Watts’s clients were “phantoms,” and the made-up claimants included the name of a dog and dead people.

Gallego accepted donations from Watts for his unsuccessful 2014 TX-23 run, even though Watts had been under investigation since early 2013. Gallego owes it to the voters to return Watts’s dirty money.

Hypocrisy Alert: Gretchen Driskell

Might be time for MI-07 Democrat Gretchen Driskell to focus on fulfilling her duties as a Michigan state representative rather than hypocritically go after her opponent. Driskell infamously made headlines last month when she was the only member of the Michigan House of Representative to miss the vote for an important road funding bill. Instead, she chose to meet with national Democratic leaders in D.C. that day rather than stay in Lansing and do what her constituents elected her to do.

By comparison, Republican Tim Walberg has showed up to work in Congress to make sure Michiganders are best served. Earlier this year, he supported a short-term extension of the highway trust fund, and then voted for a bipartisan long-term highway-funding bill this week. Next time, Driskell should make sure she’s doing her job before attacking Walberg for doing his.

Other News and Notes

• Speaker Paul Ryan and House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy transferred $1.7 million to the NRCC. An NRCC fundraising email signed by Ryan also raised the NRCC more than $100,000.
• Following Rich Nugent’s retirement announcement earlier this week, NRCC Chairman Greg Walden thanked the Congressman for his service and said he is confident Republicans will hold the FL-11 seat.
• The House passed New York Congressman John Katko’s Northern Border Security Review Act, which requires the DHS to conduct an analysis on the state of security on the northern border and learn what more is needed.
• A bill from Rodney Davis of Illinois looks to make it easier for recent college graduates to pay off their student loans, and give employers a chance to help their recent hire in the process through a tax break.