Hey Focus fans!
Alexandra Duarte’s campaign has a knack for stirring the pot with mailers.
Before the June primary, the state Senate candidate drew a rare rebuke from her own California Republican Party for a flyer showing a photo of Duarte firing a handgun, presumably doing some target practice. But the photo was positioned next to another of incumbent Sen. Marie Alvarado-Gil.
It wasn’t a good look. And it generated headlines, as well as criticism from many quarters. The state Republican Party condemned its “troubling imagery implying violence” against the senator.
Now facing Democrat Jaron Brandon on the Nov. 3 ballot, Duarte’s team is circulating a flyer showing an 11-year-old mug shot of Brandon and a caption with the arrest date, his name and the arresting agency, the Merced County Sheriff’s Office – and no other relevant context.
What’s it about?
In 2015, Brandon was arrested on suspicion of public intoxication while waiting for first responders to arrive and help a friend who had too much to drink at a fundraiser for a high school sports team, Brandon said in 2020. That’s when the arrest photo was first used to oppose his run for Tuolumne County supervisor, a race he won.
“The charges were dropped (in 2015), but a mugshot is forever,” Brandon said recently in social media. The post begins with the words, “The Duarte Mudslinging Machine is back up and running,” noting the kerfuffle caused by her earlier mailer aimed quite literally at Alvarado-Gil.
It’s curious that the Republican candidate in a conservative-leaning district feels it necessary to use smear tactics. Duarte, who is married to former Congressman John Duarte, had enough juice in the primary to bump a sitting state senator into third place. One would think she has reason to feel comfortable heading into the general election, without taking cheap shots.
It would be different if the flyer said something – anything – to help the reader understand why she’s sharing a mug shot of her opponent. But it doesn’t.
Have we reached the point where anything goes in a campaign? Where dirty tricks are not only fair game – but expected and even encouraged?
Be sure to check out the recent Modesto Focus-moderated debate between these two, where their animosity is obvious.
Folks, we gave them a chance to make nice for a moment, asking if they could please say something positive about the other. To her credit, Duarte initially tried harder than Brandon, but both were right back exchanging body blows before we could even ask the next question.
And you still have one more chance to see them square off in person, at 6 p.m. next Wednesday, Oct. 14, at at The Century, 927 10th St. in downtown Modesto. It’s a debate sponsored by the Maddy Institute at Fresno State University, the Stanislaus County Taxpayer Association and us.
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Speaking of in-person political gatherings, don’t forget our VotingMatters event at 6 p.m. next Thursday, Oct. 15 at the North Valley Labor Federation hall at 1235 M St. in Modesto.
Yes, you’ll get free tacos and drinks – but more importantly, you’ll come away with a firm grasp on the long list of local measures and statewide propositions.
Free food, invigorating discussion and timely, useable info – what could be better?
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And here’s another: the Central Valley Black Chamber of Commerce is staging a Stanislaus County Nonpartisan Candidates Forum this Saturday, Oct. 10 in Patterson. See contact info on the chamber’s promotional flyer for time and address.
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In this column on July 16 I noted that U.S. House Speaker Mike Johnson paid a visit in support of Kevin Lincoln, the former Stockton mayor opposing incumbent Rep. Adam Gray in District 13. Johnson returned last week, this time for a Lincoln rally in Chowchilla, our Merced FOCUS sister publication reports.
Feel free to share notes, tips and insights for Stanislaus-centric campaign coverage at garth@themodestofocus.org.