Longtime Dem Congressmember Zoe Lofgren Panics; Falsely Calls Her Primary Opponent Republican

Zoe Lofgren, a 29-year veteran in Congress, is facing her first real challenge in her heavily Democratic California district.

Her Democratic opponent is the Chairwoman of the Muwekma Ohlone Tribe, Charlene Concepción Nijmeh.

The tribe is aboriginal to the Bay Area and first helped Lofgren get elected in the mid-90s.

Blaming a hard-hitting newspaper, the South Bay Chronicle, as the work of her opponent, Lofgren sent out a mass email seeking financial support and asking people to help her not be defeated by a “Republican.”

That’s right, Lofgren falsely labels Nijmeh, who is a registered Democrat and appears on the ballot as a Democrat, as a Republican.

This misleading email suggests Lofgren has examined the polls, showing she’s not well-liked in her district and likely trailing Nijmeh.

The primary is March 5. But early voting has already begun.

Part of Lofgren’s problem is that after the 2020 census, the district was changed. Lofgren finds herself in an essentially new district with new voters, the majority Latino, who do not align with her stance on late-term abortion, denying parents’ rights to prevent their children from making life-altering sex change decisions, and Lofgren’s allegiance to big tech.

Lofgren’s support of transitioning minors without parental consent has riled the Mexican American community, more culturally conservative than her old, woke voters in her former district.

For over 28 years, Big Pharma has been one of Lofgren’s top four contributors.

The Latino vote in the 18th congressional district’s small cities — like Watsonville, Salinas, Hollister, Gilroy, Soledad, and King City — will likely decide the race.

Initially, it was thought that the quiet transference of the Mexican American community into Lofgren’s district would help another of her largest donors — the Bay Area’s real estate industry, which has long sought to subtly displace Latinos.

It meant big bucks for millionaire Zoe Lofgren. Her husband’s real estate law practice will make millions off the displacement.

They never expected a formidable Democratic candidate would emerge, and now not only are tens of millions at stake in the gentrification of Latinos in the 18th district, but also Lofgren’s daughter’s lucrative job at Google as one of their top-paid attorneys hangs in the balance if Lofgren loses this election.

Lofgren has received substantial campaign support from big tech companies and made personal investments in their stocks. She and her lawyer-husband have amassed wealth through their close ties with big tech.

The challenge from Nijmeh, Chairwoman of the Muwekma Ohlone tribe, has an element of poetic irony.

In the mid-90s, when Lofgren was battling to become a Congress member, she approached the tribe for support. They provided funding that helped her win the election. She promised to help the tribe regain federal recognition lost in 1978.

However, years later, Lofgren worked against the tribe, obtaining federal recognition to protect one of her biggest Democratic donors – other California tribes who do not want any new tribes encroaching on their casino territory.

This has resulted in an embattled Lofgren who recently sent out an email seeking financial support and erroneously labeling her Democratic opponent Nijmeh as a Republican.

Here is Lofgren’s email:

Fake newspapers filled with misinformation and outright lies about my family and me have been popping up across the South Bay. My Republican opponent, Charlene Nijmeh, has been tied to these pages, which are filled with baseless accusations and attacks.

While they mimic legitimate publications, these papers are nothing more than extremist propaganda built on lies. With the California primary just weeks away, this faux publication is misleading voters and is dangerous to our community.

That’s why I’m doubling down on my efforts to win this election. There’s no place in Congress for someone who runs on lies. If you’re able, please chip in $75 today to stand up against the GOP’s latest extremist propaganda →

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These papers are filled with transphobic and anti-immigrant rhetoric, false endorsements, and dangerous lies. They shamelessly promote the candidacy of my opponent, without properly displaying a campaign identification disclosure. It isn’t right and it isn’t how you run an honest campaign.

California deserves Representatives that don’t rely on misinformation to win votes. If you agree, please donate today to fund my re-election campaign. Any amount helps!

Thank you for your support and your vigilance in the fight against misinformation,

Lofgren writes that “California deserves Representatives that don’t rely on misinformation to win votes.” And she’s right. Lofgren misinforming voters that Nijmeh is a Republican when she knows that she is a Democrat is a classic example of misinformation.

Meanwhile, the voters are reading the South Bay Chronicle, and the tale it tells is not pretty.

See the South Bay Chronicle and judge for yourself.

Frank Parlato

Frank Parlato is an investigative journalist, media strategist, publisher, and legal consultant.

Frank Parlato

Frank Parlato is an investigative journalist, media strategist, publisher, and legal consultant.

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