Formidable legislators Gray and Galgiani deserve our votes
Technically, state Sen. Cathleen Galgiani and Assemblyman Adam Gray have opponents for their seats. Technically, they could lose their elections.
Practically speaking, there isn’t a ghost of a chance that will happen.
Why? Because both are doing what they were elected to do – making careful and considered votes on difficult issues, representing their constituents and playing by the rules. Though we’ve found opportunities to disagree with both, we cannot ask for more.
Gray and Galgiani deserve to be re-elected.
In Assembly District 21, voters will see Greg Opinski’s name as an alternative to Gray’s. But Opinski publicly withdrew this week; he’ll get some votes, but his chances of winning are infinitesimally small.
In Senate District 5, there are three other candidates – but none has filed recent campaign finance documents with the secretary of state. One let his Facebook page lapse and another hasn’t updated his website since 2015. Only former Lodi city councilman Alan Nakanishi appears to be raising money, and he’s raised only a fraction of Galgiani’s total.
Not only are Galgiani and Gray virtually unopposed, they’ve been rewarded with campaign contributions far exceeding what they would need to get re-elected.
We’re not crazy about all the money floating around politics, and we wish there were ways to limit it. For the time being, there isn’t and politicians who aren’t adequately funded run a real danger of losing their seat. Which is why they raise money. But Gray and Galgiani have raised a lot.
Most of the contributions to both candidates are from professional organizations, businesses, casino-owning Indian tribes, farming interests, corporate lobbyists and unions. Local constituents also make donations, but theirs are usually smaller. Galgiani has nearly 900 donors, Gray more than 450.
Many believe there are always strings attached to campaign contributions. But one advantage to raising a lot of cash and having hundreds of donors is that if one makes unreasonable demands, he or she can be told to get lost. Another advantage is it allows the politician to make important friends. It’s not uncommon for politicians who aren’t facing serious challenges to make contributions to others who are.
Gray has raised $250,000 since October and has given $36,000 to the California Democratic Party, along with lesser amounts to several individuals.
Galgiani has raised nearly $1 million overall and given $170,000 to Making California Work – an organization she established to help her push through her legislative agenda. She has given far smaller amounts to candidates in other races, including U.S. Senate candidate Kamala Harris.
Such contributions help politicians accrue political leverage, which can come in handy.
There’s nothing illegal or unethical about creating political leverage. But it wouldn’t be possible if constituents and donors weren’t happy enough to send a check or push a contribution button on a website.
Yes, Gray and Galgiani have received a lot of campaign contributions, and that might have scared away potential opponents. Perhaps those contributions are a reflection of the kind of work they’ve been doing.
This story was originally published May 19, 2016 at 3:42 PM with the headline "Formidable legislators Gray and Galgiani deserve our votes."