Howze, eyeing 2020 race, gets big bucks from Denham after opposing him in June primary

Rep. Jeff Denham and the local GOP organization in recent weeks have given a combined $35,000 to Ted Howze, Denham’s only Republican rival in the hard-fought June primary.

Some Democrats say the money appears to be a reward for attempting to game California’s top-two primary system, while Denham’s campaign, Howze and the Stanislaus Republican Central Committee deny collusion.

Howze’s sudden, late entry in the race — on the filing period’s last day, in March — might have secured an easy victory in November for Denham, if Howze had captured enough votes to finish ahead of the strongest of a watered-down field of six Democratic candidates. Instead, Howze finished third in June with 14.6 percent, leaving Denham (37.5 percent) to face Democratic challenger Josh Harder (17 percent) of Turlock on the Nov. 6 ballot. It’s considered one of the most competitive House races in the United States.

Howze (pronounced hows) this week said the primary campaign was invigorating and left him with a desire to run again for Congress in two years, although not against Denham in the 10th District. Assuming Democratic Rep. Jerry McNerney in November keeps his Ninth District seat based around Stockton — where Howze lives — Howze would challenge him in 2020, he said.

“We were contacted by people all over the country who follow national politics, with congratulations on running the greatest 90-day campaign ever, and they encouraged me to stick with it,” Howze said. Denham and Howze “could be good political allies in two years,” he said.

Since the primary, Denham’s political action committee, called Jeff PAC, has sent four checks of $5,000 each to Howze’s campaign, and Stanislaus Republicans donated three more in August, also worth $5,000 each.

“After the primary, we wanted to come together as a party and unify,” said Bret Manley, Denham’s chief of staff. “Ted indicated an interest in running against McNerney, and Jeff wanted to support him.”

Two of the checks to Howze — one each from Denham’s PAC and from the GOP group — are earmarked to help retire considerable debt from Howze’s June run. He had loaned his campaign $165,980, none of which has been repaid, according to the Federal Election Commission.

When Howze announced his candidacy in March, Democratic strategist Andrew Feldman said Republicans were “using underhanded tactics to try to game the system.”

“I still 100 percent stand by that,” Feldman said this week. “This (donations to Howze) makes it crystal clear. Jeff Denham was so worried about losing that he rigged up this game to get Howze into the race, and now (Denham) and the local party are paying him back for his favor.”

That’s ridiculous, said Howze.

“I’m not a time waster. I’m not going to run with the ultimate (goal) of electing somebody else,” Howze said. “Anybody who watched the race saw how hard I went after Jeff.”

For example, Howze in March said Denham was “impossible to nail down on an issue.” In April, Howze said of Denham, “We need to replace a big talker with a big doer.”

County Supervisor Jim DeMartini leads the local party as chairman of the Stanislaus Republican Central Committee. At his direction, the group donated to Howze to help pay off his primary debt, DeMartini said.

“There was no deal” with Denham, DeMartini said. “We never set that up. There was no communication with us at all. It’s not anything we orchestrated at all.”

DeMartini said money was raised in a fundraiser for Howze held at DeMartini’s home on Aug. 19.

But all three of the committee’s donations to Howze were recorded on Aug. 17, according to FEC records.

“This is what’s wrong with politics,” Feldman said. “Howze got paid to get in that race.”

Howze authored a guest column printed in The Turlock Journal last week. “Denham embodies the seasoned major league player that nobody in their right mind should ever trade for an unproven minor leaguer,” Howze wrote. “I am convinced that Jeff Denham will be the most productive choice for Valley residents who would be best served by re-electing him to Congress.”

That’s not an official endorsement, Howze said this week.

He served on the Turlock City Council from 2006 to 2010, and moved to Stockton in 2016. No rule requires a representative to live in his or her congressional district.

If McNerney prevails over Republican challenger Marla Livengood in five weeks, Howze said, he could challenge McNerney in 2020 in the Ninth District, which includes Stockton and Lodi. If Harder unseats Denham in November, Howze said he could challenge Harder in 2020 in the 10th District, which covers Stanislaus County and the south of San Joaquin County, including Ripon, Escalon, Manteca and Tracy.

“Starting early gives me a lot of flexibility,” Howze said.

Garth Stapley: 209-578-2390

This story was originally published October 3, 2018 at 4:28 PM.