In to his 78,000 followers Sunday, U.S. Rep. Harley Rouda, a Democrat from Orange County, California, described his Republican opponent Michelle Steel鈥檚 attendance at an indoor fundraiser without a mask as 鈥渟ickening.鈥
Democratic U.S. Rep. Gil Cisneros also blasted his Republican opponent, Young Kim, for attending the 鈥渟uperspreader fundraiser,鈥 calling it a 鈥渟lap in the face to frontline workers鈥 and his constituents in southern Los Angeles County and northern Orange County.
After President Trump鈥檚 superspreader event in Orange County last week, decided to host her own. The superspreader fundraiser鈥攁 crowded, indoor event with no social distancing/no masks鈥攇oes against CDC guidelines. It鈥檚 a slap in the face to frontline workers & .
鈥 Gil Cisneros (@gilcisnerosca)
Earlier in the month, another Democrat, U.S. Rep. TJ Cox of Bakersfield, told a television debate audience that his GOP challenger, David Valadao, 鈥渋s in lockstep with Donald Trump鈥 and that Valadao aims to undo federal health protections.
These charges by incumbent lawmakers 鈥 who represent vast areas of California, from its inland farmlands to its coastal mansions and urban working-class neighborhoods 鈥 reflect a disciplined and widely used strategy Democratic congressional hopefuls are deploying across California and the nation: By associating their Republican opponents with the out-of-control coronavirus pandemic and threats to the Affordable Care Act, they hope to convince voters the Democratic Party is the one that can better protect Americans鈥 health.
In doing so, they are linking their challengers to President Donald Trump, who is deeply unpopular in the Golden State, with just 32% of likely voters approving of the way he is handling his job, according to a recent Public Policy Institute of California .
鈥淒emocrats have been able to tie the national conversation around the coronavirus pandemic with health care and with the economy and social unrest,鈥 said David McCuan, a political science professor at California State University-Sonoma. 鈥淭hat allows Democrats to turn or hold individual districts.鈥
But the strategy isn鈥檛 a slam-dunk for Democrats, especially in the districts they flipped in 2018 鈥 including seven in California. Despite the changing demographics in the once Republican strongholds of Orange County and the Central Valley, McCuan and other political analysts said Republican victories are possible if even a small number of residents who voted Democratic in 2018 swung back to the GOP.
Republicans have already taken back one of those seats. U.S. Rep. Mike Garcia (R-Santa Clarita) beat Christy Smith in a May special election 鈥 鈥 to fill the vacancy left after Katie Hill resigned from Congress amid allegations of with staff members. Voters in the district that includes Santa Clarita and Simi Valley will pick between the same two candidates in Tuesday鈥檚 election.
In these competitive districts, political analysts say the winner will come down to voter turnout and Trump鈥檚 approval ratings, which is now inextricably tied to his handling of the public health crisis. Nationwide, 26 congressional seats are ranked as toss-ups, according to the , which tracks races.
鈥淎 lot of it鈥檚 about the president,鈥 said Wesley Hussey, a political science professor at California State University-Sacramento. 鈥淎nd part of the component of the presidential election is health care, and that does trickle down to congressional races.鈥
Calls to the state Republican Party and the National Republican Congressional Committee were not returned. And none of the Republican challengers to the Democrats interviewed for this story responded to repeated interview requests.
In California鈥檚 southern Central Valley congressional district currently held by Cox, political analysts predict another nail-biter. Cox ousted Valadao from Congress in the last election by just 862 votes, in part by tying the three-term incumbent to Trump and criticizing Valadao鈥檚 votes to overturn the Affordable Care Act.
Now, Cox has added Trump鈥檚 handling of the pandemic as a reason for voters to reject Valadao again.
鈥淗e is in lockstep with Donald Trump,鈥 Cox charged in a televised debate Oct. 20. 鈥淎nd I don鈥檛 know how you can stand behind a guy that鈥檚 saying, 鈥楬ey, we did a fantastic job and 200,000 Americans have died so far.鈥欌
In the recent by the Public Policy Institute of California, California voters rated COVID-19 as the state鈥檚 top concern.
The tweets that Cisneros and Rouda penned Sunday, which included photos of their opponents at a fundraiser without masks, capitalize on that concern. Rouda, for example, reminded voters that his opponent, as the head of the Orange County Board of Supervisors, publicly questioned the local public health officer鈥檚 springtime recommendation that residents wear masks.
鈥淢ichelle Steel is Orange County鈥檚 top official and she violated public health orders to attend an indoor, maskless fundraiser just to receive a check,鈥 Rouda told California Healthline on Monday. 鈥淭he example she is setting shows that she lacks the leadership needed for her current position and the position she鈥檚 running for.鈥
Steel spokesperson Lance Trover accused Rouda of politicizing the pandemic, saying Steel has helped secure personal protective equipment for front-line workers, and food assistance and testing for the county鈥檚 most vulnerable residents.
Steel has publicly criticized Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom for opening California鈥檚 economy too slowly, and her campaign has shared photos of Rouda socializing on a beach and in a restaurant without a mask. (Rouda said the only other people in the beach photo were close family members, and that the restaurant photo was taken before the pandemic.)
鈥淗arley Rouda is a hypocrite who has spent the entire summer seeking to politicize the work of Orange County in battling the coronavirus,鈥 Trover said.
While wearing a mask may resonate in California鈥檚 swing districts, there remain solidly red areas of California where defying a government mandate can score a candidate political points. U.S. Rep. Tom McClintock, a Republican who represents a sprawling conservative district spanning multiple northern and central counties, has called masks useless, balked at wearing one at a congressional hearing and asserted that state lockdowns have led to increased deaths.
So in addition to focusing on McClintock鈥檚 COVID response, his opponent, Brynne Kennedy, a first-time candidate and small-business owner, is targeting another health issue: his opposition to the ACA.
In her travels throughout the mostly rural district, Kennedy is highlighting his votes 鈥 66 by her count 鈥 to weaken or overturn the Affordable Care Act.
鈥淭his is radically out of step with where our district is,鈥 said Kennedy, whom political analysts describe as a long-shot candidate. 鈥淭alking about that to people, that鈥檚 very concerning to them, and it鈥檚 absolutely on the ballot this year.鈥
Kennedy鈥檚 focus on protecting the federal health care law, particularly preserving access to insurance for people with preexisting medical conditions, mirrors the messaging of her fellow Democrats.
And it鈥檚 putting a lot of Republicans on the defense, especially with Trump on the campaign trail advocating for the repeal of the Affordable Care Act, said GOP political consultant Rob Stutzman.
鈥淩epublicans are making a point of telling voters that they will support protecting preexisting conditions,鈥 Stutzman said. 鈥淚t鈥檚 clearly a vulnerability.鈥
U.S. Rep. Josh Harder (D-Modesto) has been talking about preexisting conditions since he first campaigned for his seat two years ago, referencing his brother鈥檚 health issues as a young child. He believes health care is once again the single-biggest issue in his race.
But Harder has recrafted , when he talked about backing 鈥淢edicare for All,鈥 a position now seen as a vulnerability in swing districts where Republicans have labeled their opponents as liberal or socialist.
Now, Harder and other Democrats are talking about shoring up the ACA and creating a 鈥減ublic option鈥 that would allow every American to enroll in a government-sponsored plan.
Harder said he is asking voters to reelect him to ensure Congress has the votes to protect the federal health care law if the Supreme Court invalidates it.
鈥淲e need to make sure that people understand that the stakes couldn鈥檛 be higher,鈥 he said. 鈥淭he only way that we get a legislative solution that prioritizes people with asthma, cancer and other preexisting conditions is if we elect Democrats to the House, to the Senate and the presidency.鈥
This story was produced by聽, which publishes聽, an editorially independent service of the聽.