For the record, Kimberlin Brown Pelzer has a unique way of campaigning to become a member of the U.S. Congress.
Two weeks ago, she made a brief announcement to local media that she was making a bid for the 36th Congressional District seat now held by Rep. Raul Ruiz, a Democrat.
The Republican soap opera actress, 56, who currently appears on the “Bold and Beautiful,” has been MIA since.
She has a website but there is no way to contact her. Messages to her Twitter account go unanswered. Messages to her Facebook account are ignored. There are no staff members listed on her website.
She was given my phone number more than four days ago and has yet to reach out. Her supporters defend her saying she’s still busy filming her soap opera and moving into a home she recently bought in Palm Springs. Until now she has been living in a $1.1 million home in Fallbrook, which she owns with her husband Gary. Fallbrook lies in California’s 49th Congressional District.
Already she is being dubbed by some as a “carpetbagger.”
She also has some rabid supporters, including Joy Miedecke, chair of the East Valley Republican Women Federated. Miedecke said she spent the past two weeks with her and introduced her at the California Federation of Republican Women Convention in Monterey on Oct. 6-8.
The role of Republican Women Federated is to support all Republican candidates, both men and women, but most of all to get Republican women in office, Miedecke said.
“She’s serious,” Miedecke said. “She’s 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.
At this point, Brown Pelzer will face Dan Ball, 42, a former Coachella Valley television news anchor, for the Republican nomination for the 36th Congressional District. He has formally announced. Miedecke hinted there might be more though declined to identify anyone in particular.
Both are looking to unseat Ruiz, a Harvard-educated doctor, targeted by the National Republican Congressional Committee in 2018. The committee is reportedly targeting 36 Democrat-held districts in blue-collar areas.
As of June 30, the latest finance report available, Ruiz’s campaign committee had just shy of $1.6 million on hand.
California’s 36th Congressional 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.
