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Cisneros, a $266 Million Lottery Winner, Urgently Pleas for More Donations (DEMOCRAT - title trunc)
FreeBeacon.Com ^ | November 4, 2018 5:00 am | BY: Susan Crabtree

Posted on 11/04/2018 3:18:15 PM PST by SaveFerris

Warns of 'catastrophic' campaign cutbacks despite loaning his campaign $8.8 million

Gil Cisneros, a Democratic candidate running in Orange County who won $266 million from the lottery in 2010, was issuing urgent pleas for donations from supporters late last week before cutting himself a check for $200,000.

Cisneros, a former Navy veteran and Frito-Lay manager, is running against GOP small business owner Young Kim in an extremely tight race to replace Rep. Ed Royce (R., Calif.). Before last week, he had loaned his campaign $8.8 million and collected $1.9 million in contributions.

On Wednesday the Cisneros campaign asked supporters for an "urgent donation" and suggested that his campaign would make "catastrophic" "cutbacks" if it didn't receive enough donations by the end of that day.

"We wanted to make sure you got this note from Gil last night," the campaign said in its email to supporters. "He's being blunt as can be here, and we agree with him. The idea of having to make any cutbacks at this point could be catastrophic in a race this close. We're doing everything we can to get there, but we need your support ahead of tonight's deadline."

"Can you rush an urgent donation [sic] of today?" the campaign added in note signed "Team Cisneros HQ."

The missive followed an email that said it was from Cisneros directly. "I'm reaching out with a favor to ask—can you send a quick $10 donation to the campaign?"

"When I first decided to run in California's 39th Congressional District, I committed to rejecting all corporate PAC money," the email said. "That is a commitment I continue to stand by—in contrast with my opponent, who represents more of the failed status quo in Washington.

"It also means that grassroots support is vital to my campaign," he wrote. "But with one week to go, it looks like some of our fundraising numbers are starting to drop off. We're falling short of our target and we're concerned about possible cutbacks.

On Thursday, Cisneros gave his campaign another $200,000, bringing his self-funding total to an even $9 million, federal election commission records show.

With just three days left before voters head to the polls, the contest is too close to call. The most recent poll, a New York Times/Siena poll conducted from Oct. 18 to Oct. 23, has Cisneros up by 1 percentage point. A Monmouth poll released a month earlier had Young up by 10 points.

Cisneros, a former Navy veteran and Frito-Lay manager, is running against GOP small business owner Young Kim in an extremely tight race to replace Rep. Ed Royce (R., Calif.). The most recent poll, a New York Times/Siena poll conducted from Oct. 18 to Oct. 23, has Cisneros up by 1 percentage point. A Monmouth poll released a month earlier had Young up by 10 points.

Republicans privately questioned the last-minute pleas for cash, considering that his personal wealth and his ability to draw on it for his campaign was one of the reasons many national Democrats backed him in a tight primary race against rival Democrat Andy Thorburn.

The Cisneros campaign did not respond to a request for comment on the late requests for donations and the subsequent $200,000 donation from his own funds.

Cisneros in 2010 won $266 million from the MEGA Million California lottery, a record-breaking jackpot at the time.

Since that time, Cisneros and his wife have set up a philanthropic foundation that has donated hundreds of thousands of dollars to various charities across the country. In 2016 alone, the foundations doled out, among many other donations, $100,000 to the University of Southern California Annenberg School for Communication; $100,000 to the Congressional Hispanic Fund; and $50,000 to the George Washington University to pay for a "Cisneros Institute Senior Fellow Fund."

Federal Election Commission records show that Cisneros has loaned his campaign for Congress $8.8 million and contributed $52,000 to it while collecting another $1.9 million in contributions from supporters.

Cisneros's frustration over being repeatedly asked for donations from other Democratic candidates and causes was a factor in a #MeToo scandal that plagued his campaign for months. Melissa Fazli, a Democrat running for the California state Assembly, said he expressed frustration about her request for a political donation to her campaign back in February and then made inappropriate remarks.

She went public with her complaints about Cisneros in May, accusing him of asking her in response to her request for a donation, "Well, what are you going to do for me?" in a suggestive manner that made her believe he was requesting that she have sex with him in exchange for $4,400 political donation. During a previous encounter at state Democratic convention in February, Fazli said Cisneros asked if he could go back to her hotel room while they chatted outside a hotel elevator late in the evening.

In early October Fazli withdrew her complaint about Cisneros after what she described as months of pressure from other members of the Democratic Party to do so. Fazli said she and Cisneros sat down together to discuss the issue and he apologized to her and both agreed to a ceasefire on the issue and that she would withdraw her sexual harassment complaint.


TOPICS: News/Current Events; US: California
KEYWORDS: 2018; 2018election; 2020election; california; cisneros; democrat; edroyce; election2018; election2020; gilcisneros; orangecounty; royce; youngkim
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To: Pelham

Sending them the article. Couldn’t hoit.


21 posted on 11/04/2018 3:56:04 PM PST by Yaelle
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To: SaveFerris; Yaelle

“I hope Hannity is on this. Sure he’s not perfect but thank God for Sean Hannity. “

The saying goes “Sean is (fill in the blank), but he’s our (fill in the blank)”.

Sean gets credit for being early and fearless in supporting Trump but he can still drive his listeners crazy.


22 posted on 11/04/2018 3:58:54 PM PST by Pelham (Secure Voter ID. Mexico has it, because unlike us they take voting seriously)
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To: SaveFerris

There was a syndicated comic strip in 1992 that had a guy writing out a check, putting it in an envelope, putting it in a street mailbox, and walking away, he thinks “Did I just mail $10 to a billionaire?” (aka Ross Perot’s campaign)


23 posted on 11/04/2018 3:58:59 PM PST by Calvin Locke
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To: sparklite2

“The only was to be a former Navy veteran is to die.”

Or, I suppose, to return to active duty.


24 posted on 11/04/2018 4:03:29 PM PST by rightwingcrazy
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To: rightwingcrazy

I’d say the moment you are honorably discharged, you are a veteran and retain the status even if you rejoin later.


25 posted on 11/04/2018 4:07:29 PM PST by sparklite2 (See more at Sparklite Times)
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To: Yaelle

I hope it hoits Gil.


26 posted on 11/04/2018 4:11:49 PM PST by Pelham (Secure Voter ID. Mexico has it, because unlike us they take voting seriously)
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To: SaveFerris

Any relation to Clinton croney, and criminal Henry Cisneros?


27 posted on 11/04/2018 4:17:51 PM PST by mass55th (Courage is being scared to death - but saddling up anyway...John Wayne)
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To: Calvin Locke

;)


28 posted on 11/04/2018 4:18:50 PM PST by SaveFerris (Luke 17:28 ... as it was in the days of Lot; they did eat, they drank, they bought, they sold ......)
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To: SaveFerris

Typical Democrat. Once they get a taste (money) they want to raid the public coffers for more.


29 posted on 11/04/2018 4:20:25 PM PST by sheana
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To: Pelham

Ken does pick up on stuff I send. If it’s news to him, it might get mentioned tomorrow.


30 posted on 11/04/2018 4:20:36 PM PST by Yaelle
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To: mass55th

I don’t know. I hope this can get out.

Especially to California Democrats BION.

Any of them that sent money to this guy might have second thoughts?

Well, maybe some Independents, anyways.....dunno.

Article says it’s a tight race - 1% diff


31 posted on 11/04/2018 4:20:41 PM PST by SaveFerris (Luke 17:28 ... as it was in the days of Lot; they did eat, they drank, they bought, they sold ......)
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To: sheana

It ought to wake up a few Orange County voters.

Well, I can only hope.....lol


32 posted on 11/04/2018 4:22:05 PM PST by SaveFerris (Luke 17:28 ... as it was in the days of Lot; they did eat, they drank, they bought, they sold ......)
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To: SaveFerris

I was at the John Cox / Young Kim rally on Saturday, Nov 3 in Rowland Heights, CA. Here is my video of the event, recorded originally in 4K:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T1FE0a3_C-Q&t=263s


33 posted on 11/04/2018 4:23:50 PM PST by AlexisHeavyMetal1981 (Z)
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To: max americana

SoCal ping


34 posted on 11/04/2018 4:28:17 PM PST by SaveFerris (Luke 17:28 ... as it was in the days of Lot; they did eat, they drank, they bought, they sold ......)
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To: AlexisHeavyMetal1981

I’ll take a look in a bit - thanks


35 posted on 11/04/2018 4:28:52 PM PST by SaveFerris (Luke 17:28 ... as it was in the days of Lot; they did eat, they drank, they bought, they sold ......)
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To: SaveFerris

jUST TO PROVE ONCE AGAIN...that libtard Dummycrats want OTHER PEOPLE’S MONEY...NOT THEIRS TO SPEND.


36 posted on 11/04/2018 4:32:32 PM PST by max americana (Fired libtard employees 9 consecutive times at every election since 08'. I hope all liberals die.)
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Comment #37 Removed by Moderator

To: SaveFerris

“Nice area.”
______________

It was.


38 posted on 11/04/2018 4:34:07 PM PST by july4thfreedomfoundation (Hey liberals! Trump in 2020. Because, 'eff you!)
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To: july4thfreedomfoundation; max americana

I can’t believe anyone would be dumb enough to vote for this guy. Especially after this.

Then again, people vote for Maxine Waters......


39 posted on 11/04/2018 4:54:14 PM PST by SaveFerris (Luke 17:28 ... as it was in the days of Lot; they did eat, they drank, they bought, they sold ......)
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To: SaveFerris

He’s a democRAT and using OPM is a core principle.


40 posted on 11/04/2018 4:55:54 PM PST by NonValueAdded (#DeplorableMe #BitterClinger #HillNO! #cishet #MyPresident #MAGA #Winning #covfefe)
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