Another Family-Funded Super PAC Crops Up in House Race
Another House race, another family-style super PAC.
In California's 39th District, a super PAC that has spent more than $500,000 to support Democratic businessman Jay Chen in his uphill battle against GOP Rep. Ed Royce is funded entirely by Chen's brother, the Orange County Register reports:
PAC spending is prohibited by law from being coordinated with the candidate. While voter registration records show that the brothers live two blocks away from each other in Hacienda Heights, the campaign says Jay Chen knows nothing of his brother's activities.
"We are not surprised that Jay's brother really wants to help him win," said Chen campaign spokesman Sam Liu. "We understand all of the rules and have not coordinated whatsoever with the American Shining PAC."
Baloney, says Royce consultant Dave Gilliard.
"I find it beyond the bounds of credibility that Jay Chen's brother, who lives 500 feet from him, would on his own and without any involvement from Jay, write a check for over half a million dollars to a San Francisco-based Super Pac that came out of nowhere, has only one donor and only supports one candidate - Jay Chen," Gilliard said.
The $565,000 spent so far by Shaw Chen to help his brother is more than the $513,000 Jay Chen has raised from all of his direct donors combined, although the candidate has added $126,000 of his own money to his campaign treasury.
This is just the latest House race where a super PAC funded largely by a candidate's family member (or members) has cropped up.
In North Carolina's 13th District, the American Foundations Committee, which supported Republican George Holding, was funded mainly by members of the Holding family.
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