Gray deserves to be re-elected to Assembly

Technically, Assemblyman Adam Gray has an opponent for his 21st District seat. Technically, he could lose this election in on June 7.

Practically speaking, there isn’t a ghost of a chance that will happen.

Why? Mostly, because Gray is doing what he’s supposed to do – making careful and considered votes on difficult issues, representing his constituents and playing by the rules. Though we’ve found opportunities to disagree with him, we cannot ask for more from an elected official.

Adam Gray deserves to be re-elected.

Still, voters in Merced and Stanislaus counties will see Greg Opinski’s name on the ballot. He’ll get some votes just because there’s an R next to his name, but his chances of winning are infinitesimally small.

Mainly, that’s because Opinski has publicly withdrawn. But he wouldn’t have had much chance if he had remained. Gray is a formidable campaigner, and he has the donations to prove it.

The assemblyman has amassed a campaign war chest exceeding $1 million, according to the secretary of state’s office.

Two years ago, Gray was unopposed until a last-second write-in candidacy by Jack Mobley (currently running for the Merced County Board of Supervisors). Behind the scenes, state Republican Party chair Jim Brulte was pushing hundreds of thousands of dollars into an effort to beat Gray.

It didn’t work. But it did compel Gray to beef up his fundraising in case other such challenges arose.

Gray has raised $250,000 since last October and only a fraction has come from local donors. Most contributions have come from professional organizations, businesses, casino-owning Indian tribes, unions, farming interests throughout the valley and lobbyists. In all, Gray has nearly 500 donors – including dozens in the district.

Many believe all political donations come with strings. But one advantage to raising lots of campaign cash, and having hundreds of donors is that if one makes an unreasonable demand, the candidate can tell him or her to take a hike.

Another advantage is that having extra cash allows the politician to make friends. It’s not uncommon for politicians to contribute to the campaigns of others. Gray has given $36,000 to the California Democratic Party, along with lesser amounts to several individuals.

Such contributions help politicians accrue political leverage, which can come in handy. There’s nothing illegal or unethical about that. It’s the way the game is played.

We’re not crazy about all the money floating around politics, and we wish there were ways to limit it. For the time being, there isn’t and politicians who want to keep their jobs have raise money if they want to win.

There is another way – once elected, do your job well. We think Gray has.

This story was originally published May 19, 2016 at 3:42 PM with the headline "Gray deserves to be re-elected to Assembly."