After Min’s “hired guns” delivered a cease-and-desist to Baugh’s home, the former Assemblyman refused to back down: “it certainly won’t stop me from upholding my pledge to make our community safer.”
Since the start of the 2024 election cycle, the matchup between Republican Scott Baugh and Democrat Dave Min for California’s 47th Congressional District has been considered “one of the marquee races in the country.” Recently, tensions reached new heights when Min’s campaign sent representatives to personally deliver a cease-and-desist letter to Baugh’s residence, demanding that he discontinue publicly criticizing Min’s record on crime.
Former Assemblyman and Republican Party of Orange County Chairman Baugh has not been shy about his belief that Senator Min’s track record as a state legislator has consistently favored criminals over victims. In a statement released on his campaign website, Baugh stated in no uncertain terms that he would not back down—that legal threats from the State Senator’s “hired guns,” as Baugh describes them, would not deter him from “[exposing] Mr. Min’s soft-on-crime ways.”
“Mr. Min has made all of us less safe, and no matter how many stooges he sends to my door it won’t stop me from exposing his record, and it certainly won’t stop me from upholding my pledge to make our community safer,” Baugh stated. “I chose to use social media to expose Mr. Min’s soft-on-crime ways. Instead of debating the issue, Mr. Min’s response was to hide behind his lawyers.”
Min’s apparent attempt to silence his opponent may have backfired, as Baugh is now using the opportunity to direct voters’ attention towards Min’s legislative shortcomings. Among them are “[voting] for “no-cash” bail, effectively setting bail for criminals at $0.00;” “suppressing criminal records for people who commit felonies, so you wouldn’t know if your babysitter, your kid’s teacher or the repair man in your home was a convicted felon;” and “[supporting] efforts to make it more difficult for police to investigate sex crimes, including sex crimes with minors.”
These instances reference SB 262, SB 731, and SB 357 respectively. While the latter two bills passed, the former did fail when brought forward to the State Assembly—with a significant number of Democrats voting either against it or abstaining from voting entirely. SB 262 came shortly off the heels of 2020’s Proposition 25, an attempt to end cash bail which was rejected by California voters. That didn’t stop progressives from trying again the following year.
To Baugh’s point, Min appears to have sided with the most progressive wing of the party in supporting a bill too radical to pass even with California’s Democratic supermajority. In his statement, Baugh cites an article penned earlier this year by the Orange County Register’s Editorial Board which calls Min “a willful puppet” and blatant liar.
“This editorial board will also like to remind voters, particularly Democratic voters, that Dave Min will say and do anything to get elected,” the piece reads. “This is the same Dave Min who was a willful puppet of the prison guards union, who dumped millions to get him elected to the California Senate. In return, Min has dutifully voted in favor of massive new contracts for the prison guard union—and on top of that has opposed key criminal justice reforms. This is who Dave Min is.”
Baugh is also taking the chance to reaffirm his own commitment to public safety, citing his early endorsement of Proposition 36, which aims to reduce homelessness, drug addiction, and retail theft. In addition to adding new penalties for certain crimes that have historically gone unpunished, the measure also would provide “critical mental health, drug treatment services, and job training… for people who are homeless and suffering from mental illness or struggling with substance abuse.”
Min, on the other hand, “joined forces with Governor Newsom and his legislative colleagues to kill Prop 36 by advancing a competing initiative and introducing a slew of ‘pretend to be tough on crime bills,’” according to Baugh. In one such instance, SB 1242, Min introduced a poison pill—effectively a self-destruct mechanism—to repeal his own legislative package should voters elect to pass Prop 36. When confronted about it by Assemblywoman Kate Sanchez, Min responded with complete deflection, saying “I have not had time to review the initiative,” and that he has had “a lot on his plate these days.”
“Dangerous Dave Min puts criminals ahead of victims because he is a criminal. Min earns a special spot in the hall of shame shilling for these poison pills while on probation himself,” said National Republican Congressional Committee Spokesperson Ben Petersen.
The overarching argument of Baugh’s release is that Min’s policies are out of touch with the needs of Orange County constituents who consistently cite the erosion of public safety as a top political priority in this upcoming election.
“Mr. Min can run from his record, and he can hire lawyers to send threatening letters to stifle debate about his record, but Mr. Min cannot hide from his record,” writes Baugh. “I’ll see to it that the voters know that Mr. Min is part of a progressive movement in this country that chooses coddling criminals over safety in our neighborhoods, and it must end.”
One may wonder if and how Min has reacted to Baugh’s biting critique. As of the time of writing, Min has not publicly commented on either Baugh’s release or the cease-and-desist letter sent by his lawyers.
