The Candidate Who Wasn't
My representative in Congress, Democrat Susan Davis, is being “challenged” by a Republican named Delicia Holt. Holt reported raising $216,000 but her name isn’t on the ballot. The Orange County Register dug in a bit deeper:
The Register wrote each of the 217 donors at the addresses listed on Holt’s federal financial filings, inquiring about their donations. Not a single one responded that they had supported the would-be candidate.
The Register heard back from eight of the listed donors – all said they had not given Holt money, and six said they’d never heard of her….
Most of those listed as donors no longer lived at the addresses listed – 165 of the 217 letters were returned as undeliverable. Records show that at least 96 lost their homes to foreclosure.
Holt ran in 2006 against Randy “Duke” Cunningham as a self-described “intelligence security analyst.” She sells $45 bottles of “youth juice” on her campaign website, which says she’s running.
Why would someone fake their own campaign?