Paul Chabot
Paul Chabot is getting some help in his bid to keep the 31st Congressional District in Republican hands.
The National Republican Congressional Committee recently gave Chabot “On the Radar” status in its “Young Guns” program, which seeks to help GOP candidates win House races.
“I am confident that Paul Chabot will be a successful and dedicated member of this program and that he will continue to work hard to reach the crucial campaign benchmarks,” NRCC Chairman Greg Walden said in a news release.
Walden also is headlining a breakfast fundraiser scheduled for Aug. 14 at Toby Keith’s Bar and Grill in Rancho Cucamonga. The event follows a recent fundraiser in Washington that featured members of California’s Republican congressional delegation, including House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy, R-Bakersfield.
The NRCC announcement could signal the GOP establishment is growing more confident in Chabot’s November prospects against Democratic candidate and Redlands Mayor Pete Aguilar. A Navy veteran and homeland security consultant, Chabot is running for a seat representing Redlands, Rancho Cucamonga and other parts of San Bernardino County.
Incumbent Rep. Gary Miller, R-Rancho Cucamonga is not seeking re-election.
The 31st went for President Barack Obama in 2008 and 2012 and its demographics favor Democrats. Independent analysts who study House races give Democrats a slight edge in the district.
Pete Aguilar
That said, Chabot finished comfortably in first out of seven Republican and Democratic candidates in the June primary despite being outspent. Turnout for the Nov. 4 election is expected to be low, a trend that favors the GOP.
Democrats are using Chabot’s “On the Radar” status to portray him as a “hand-picked darling” of Republican extremists.
“It’s no surprise that Washington Republicans are clamoring for ‘proud tea party member’ Paul Chabot to join their club: he has pledged to prop up their out-of-touch agenda that stacks the deck for the ultra-wealthy and special interests at the expense of the Inland Empire’s working families,” said Tyrone Gayle, a spokesman for the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee.
The DCCC has backed Aguilar since before the primary.
