In one of the most heavily-targeted state senate races of the year, Senate District 23 Democrat Kipp Mueller is trying to lie his way to victory. Mueller has continuously misrepresented himself as a former criminal prosecutor, even though he’s never actually held that position.                                                      

Jennifer Van Laar, RedState, 9/3/24

As RedState reported, Mueller claimed repeatedly to have been a prosecutor at both the county level and at the Department of Justice – but neither is true. LA Daily News notes, “he was an intern (or, more precisely, an ‘extern’) at the DOJ and a ‘volunteer post-bar law clerk’ for a few months in Santa Clara County.” When he held those positions, he hadn’t even passed the California bar yet. No matter how many times he said it (which was a lot), he was never a prosecutor.

These were not embellishments. They were lies. Lies that he has now quietly removed from his website and social media after being confronted with the truth. What he hasn’t done, however, is acknowledged the deceit and said he’s sorry, prompting the Santa Clarita Valley Signal’s Editorial Board to remove their columns that reiterate his lies while refusing to accept any ads from him until he apologizes.

The LA Daily News’ Editorial Board meanwhile said his lie, “casts real doubt about his judgment and his ability to be honest with the public.” The next day they endorsed Republican candidate Suzette Valladares, exclaiming that she, “by contrast, has a clear record to run on and a common sense approach to government. Unlike Mueller, she hasn’t felt the need to fudge the truth about who she is or what she’s done. This is an easy call.”