SAN BERNADINO, Calif. – Credit unions’ first congressional Super PAC is financing a last-minute door-to-door canvas this weekend to help Redlands Mayor Pete Aguilar, the former Arrowhead Central CU executive who is running for Congress, in Tuesday’s primary.
Aguilar, the former head of government affairs at Arrowhead, is one of seven candidates running in the non-partisan primary for the state’s newly drawn 31st congressional district. Under the nonpartisan concept top two finishers in Tuesday’s primary, whatever their party affiliation, will face off in the November 6 general election.
One of the finalists is expected to be Republican Gary Miller, the seven-term incumbent in the state’s current 42nd district, who has received heavy financial support from the National Association of REALTORS, one of the best-funded lobby groups in Washington. Miller, who was thrown into the redrawn 31st district by the new redistricting, has been leading efforts in Congress to retain the mortgage interest deduction, the major issue for the Realtors group.
Aguilar’s main support is coming from a so-called Super PAC called Restoring Our Community, which has been financed by the California CU League. The Super PAC, which is officially unaffiliated with the candidate, has spent $160,000 on Aguilar’s behalf so far and has a total of $325,000 to spend independently of Aguilar’s own campaign, according to reports filed with the Federal Elections Commission. Under FEC rules the Super PAC can collect unlimited contributions from corporations and individuals but may not coordinate its efforts with the candidate.
The Super PAC was funded by a $250,000 check provided by the California league on April 27, and a $75,000 May 11 check from the San Manuel Band of Mission Indians, a 200-member tribe that runs a casino in near the city of Redlands, the FEC records show.
The latest expenditures includes funding of seven workers who will launch the Super PAC’s own ground campaign this weekend and through the day before the primary in support of Aguilar, independently of the candidate’s own campaign.
