BAKERSFIELD, Calif., Feb. 25 (UPI) -- A California Democrat whose campaign bounced a $42 check is running again for a congressional seat he lost in 2012, party leaders said.
John Hernandez, a former president of the Central California Hispanic Chamber of Commerce, ran unsuccessfully in 2012 in the Golden State's newly created 21st district, Roll Call reported. His campaign suffered from poor fundraising and disorganization and Hernandez lost to Republican David Valadao by 16 percentage points, despite President Barack Obama carrying the district with 55 percent of the vote.
This time around, party leaders have tapped congressional aide Amanda Renteria as their endorsed candidate. Tenteria has raised some $300,000 so far, campaign filings show.
Hernandez has not filed a single quarterly campaign finance disclosure form since announcing his candidacy in early 2012, the Federal Elections Commission said, Roll Call reported. He has been cited numerous times and the FEC has said he faces potential fines for his failure to comply with election law.
In addition to his potential legal trouble was the embarrassment of bouncing a $42 check to the Democratic Women of Kern, a local party organization that held an August fundraising event Hernandez attended, the newspaper said. The group said a bank told them the check was denied for lack of funds and they've yet to receive their money.
"He wrote a check and we notified him, we sent him a letter letting him know that it was a check that was bounced for insufficient funds written on a closed checking account," said Cathee Romley, whose organization is neutral in the primary between Hernandez and Renteria. "We just shake our head and say, 'This guy cannot be serious. You cannot do this.'"
