2018 General Election Elected 51 — 49

Lucky and good. 

Gil Cisneros https://cisnerosforcongress.com/ is running for Congress because he was lucky.  In 2010, he won the lottery — $266 million.

Gil Cisneros had a productive life without the lottery.  He had retired from the Navy.  When he won the lottery, he was a shipping and distribution manager.  He was a smart and successful guy.Then Gil Cisneros was lucky. 

With his luck, Gil Cisneros demonstrated a touch of stubbornness.  He wife, who worked at a television station, wanted to arrange a scoop interview with him for the station.  He declined.  He was willing to do was to scan the ticket and send it to her for a television story.

With his luck, Gil Cisneros started nonprofits focused on helping Latino kids succeed in school.  He started scholarship funds for those kids who did succeed in school.

With his luck,Gil Cisneros reflected.  Reflected at little, at least. He does not seem to be a particularly reflective man.  The first person in his family to go to college, he added a degree in educational policy to his BA and his business degree. 

With his luck, Gil Cisneros reflected about politics.  Consistent with the politics of his military colleagues and his corporate colleagues, he had been a Republican.  He voted for McCain in 2008. With his luck, Gil Cisneros changed political parties.  He said the Republican Party had changed.  It was no longer the party of Reagan that had offered amnesty to undocumented immigrants.  It was no longer the party of James and Sarah Brady after whom the Brady Bill supporting mandatory background checks for gun purchases was named.  He became an independent and then a Democrat.

With his luck, Gil Cisneros  put his changed politics to work.  He gave money to the Congressional Hispanic Caucus.  He funded two interns per year to work with the Caucus.  The Caucus was a Democratic organization.

With his luck and his stubbornness, Gil Cisneros ran for Congress. It is a tough race.  CA 39 is the most expensive of the “top two” primaries in California this year.   The national and statewide Democratic leadership were persistently worried that there were so many Democrats running in CA 39 and other districts that Democrats would come in third and fourth and fifth — ineligible for the “top two” run offs.  In CA 39, the leadership assumed the incumbent Republican would go through — until he dropped out.

With his luck and his stubbornness, Gil Cisneros made it to the run off.  He persuaded the DCCC to support him. Gil Cisneros beat back a challenge from a millionaire businessman whose $2.5 million war chest was larger than his. Gil Cisnro got used to being portrayed as a fat guy with a cigar.  Gil Cisneros sued his primary opponent about the descriptor he wanted to use on the ballot. 

With his luck and his stubbornness and his connections, Gil Cisneros came in second in the primary with 19% of the vote.  The Republican, an aide to the Republican Congressman who retired, got 22% of the vote.  The millionaire businessman who was Gil Cisneros rival?  He came in fifth. With his luck and his stubbornness and his connections, Gil Cisneros can win.  The Republican Congressman retired in the face of anger against his opposition to the Affordable Care Act and his support for the Republican tax designed to hurt Californians.  Why should his former aide do better?He has his stubbornness and his connections, but will his luck run out?  Gill Cisneros has made it through the California top two primary system so far.  The system was intended to encourage the election of more moderate, less extreme candidates.  Gil Cisneros , the former Republican, was the more moderate Democrat.  His opponent gives the appearance of being moderate. 

Is Cisneros lucky in his opponent, or not.It is tough to ask people to donate to a millionaire.  No candidate can or should fund a campaign entirely on his or her own.  Candidates with small dollar donors are lucky people.  They get advice about their politics without being beholden to the advice givers.  Send Gil Cisneros https://cisnerosforcongress.com/ a little bit.