A Hollywood actress parachuted into the 36th Congressional District late last year and has posed for photo ops at the Salton Sea, the Empire Polo Club, Gay Pride,, and a vigil to honor the legacy of a beloved gay man who was the victim of a hate crime isn’t getting a wealth of local campaign contributions for those on-camera performances.
At least not yet.
Kimberlin Brown Pelzer, 56 who has been referred to as a “carpetbagger” by the president of the Lincoln Club,” received $175,832 in contributions between Oct. 6, 2017, and Dec. 31, 2017, according to the Federal Election Commission. As of Dec. 31, her cash on hand totaled $146,633.
A closer examination of the contributions shows that many were out of state and most were outside the 36th Congressional District, which is located in the southeastern portion of the state and includes most of Riverside County, including the area from Hemet to Blythe. It also includes the desert communities of Palm Springs, Palm Desert, Indio, Coachella, Rancho Mirage, Desert Hot Springs, Indian Wells and Cathedral City.
More than 25 percent of her contributions were from out of state. They were from every state from South Dakota, Minnesota and Utah to Montana, Texas and New York and everywhere in between.
Only about 10 percent of her contributions came from within the 36th Congressional District. Some of those who donated, such as Joy Miedecke, president of the East Valley Republican Women Federated, donated twice to Brown Pelzer’s campaign in the first reporting period. Miedecke has been a longtime cheerleader for Brown Pelzer and the East Valley Republican Women Federated was the first political organization to endorse Brown Pelzer in early November 2017.
Is the lack of contributions from residents in the district an indication she is unknown and that she has no real connection to the issues and the people?
Gary Pelzer and Kimberlin Brown Pelzer have been home homeowners in Palm Springs less than three months. The couple purchased a condo on Nov. 7, 2017 for $260,000, according to Riverside County Property Tax Records. It is unclear whether this is just a part-time residence to establish residency for the election. Until now she has been living in a $1.1 million home in Fallbrook, which she owns with her husband Gary.
Or, is that is she more beholden to the Republican Party and will take money from wherever she can get it in order to win?
When Miedecke first spoke of Brown Pelzer to Uken Report, Miedecke said Brown Pelzer is serious, absolutely serious. “She’s intelligent and knows a lot of terrific people. She wants to take her energy to Washington, D.C., to make sure we as Republicans stay on track. She likes Trump. She is enamored with him.”
Her claim to political fame was as a featured speaker at the Republican National Convention in 2016. She was invited to speak at the RNC because of “her role as an actress,” according to her website.
The National Republican Congressional Committee last week endorsed Brown Pelzer under its “Young Guns On the Radar” effort. The NRCC is reportedly targeting 36 Democrat-held districts in blue-collar areas.
Individual contributions for Dan Ball, also a Republican candidate for Congress, were not available from the FEC at deadline. Marc Troast, Ball’s fundraising manager, said all contributions to Ball’s campaign were filed with the FEC.
Brown Pelzer is seeking the seat now held by Democratic Rep. Dr. Raul Ruiz. She is one of four Republicans seeking the GOP nomination in June.