Cruz: Lying has no place in campaigns and public service

No, she won’t be pursuing federal contracts if elected to Congress. No, the business she runs did not donate even a penny to her campaign. No, she is not a new resident to Guam. And, no, contrary to all the undercurrent of rumors that women running for office or trying to advance in the workforce often face, she never has been and never will be a witch.

Ginger Cruz, in an interview with Kandit today, cleared the record and debunked claims made by her opponent in character attack ads Jim Moylan is running on several Guam radio stations. Mr. Moylan, a Republican, is running to keep his seat as Guam’s delegate to the U.S. House of Representatives. Ms. Cruz is a Democrat.

“It’s disappointing that that they decided to start slinging mud and lies this early in the campaign season,” she said of her opponent.

Three Moylan-approved radio ads are running on multiple stations, each assailing Ms. Cruz over her residency and accusing her of running for Congress to corruptly avail of federal contracts.

The first commercial says Ms. Cruz returned to Guam after spending two decades abroad “and only returned a few years ago hoping to secure million-dollar government contracts. Last September, Ginger Cruz realized that the larger payout was in federal contracts and in Washington, D.C., so she finally registered as a Guam voter and decided to run for Congress. Don’t be fooled. Her intent to run isn’t about you, but about her company and profit.”

Members of Congress cannot qualify for federal contracts. Ms. Cruz’s company – Mantid International – does not currently have any federal contracts, according to her, and the contracts companies in Guam generally seek from the federal government are from the federal executive branch, not Congress. Kandit asked Mr. Moylan’s chief of staff Bobby Shringi how Ms. Cruz, if elected, could possibly benefit from the position in the way of securing federal contracts.

“Members can influence things if they desire, particularly if you have a seat in certain committees,” he said. “Plus you get top clearance to see what is in the horizon. Lastly, while a member can’t directly participate, you know how that process goes.”

Ms. Cruz called the assault on her character a blatant lie.

“I have no idea, like, that is so completely fabricated,” she said. “It is not even understandable,” she said of the Moylan claim, referring to the federal prohibitions against such a conflict of interest.

She confirmed that if elected, she would sell or otherwise divest her interests in Mantid, a company she started years ago.

“I would need to, under the Congressional Ethics Regulations, get myself out of my business,” she said. “I would not have anything to do with it.”

The Democrat candidate emphasized her lifetime of commitment to ethical conduct.

“My entire life has been about ethics,” she said, quipping about her participation in elementary school in the Safety Patrol program.

 

The $200,000 “lie”

“Her company, Mantid International,” the second Moylan attack ad says, “even dumped $200,000 for her primary election campaign. Ask yourself, ‘Who stands to make money from this investment.”

Companies, however, cannot donate to congressional candidates. In fact, Ms. Cruz’s election filings show that Mantid did not donate to her campaign.

“That’s patently untrue,” she said, adding that it is incredible Mr. Moylan is not aware of federal election regulations. “Mantid did not donate a penny to my campaign.”

“I have a retirement account with my husband, and once we decided we were gonna run for office, we decided that we were gonna take a loan out against our retirement account and invest that money in the campaign,” she said, “because I’m not going to ask people to donate to my campaign if I’m not willing to do it myself. I want to do this for the people of Guam.”

 

She’s not a witch

While not part of the recent character attack ads, an undercurrent of rumors have swirled claiming that Ms. Cruz was or is a witch.

In the interview, she delved into detail about the origins of the decades-old Wiccan rumor, how it is related to an inspector general report, and why disgruntled people who were targets of her federal investigations into their misconduct generated and circulated the falsehoods.

“It is not true!” the Saint Anthony School and  exclaimed about the witchcraft rumor. “I have been through all the Sacraments. I am very happy to be a Catholic. I am very grateful for the Catholic upbringing I had from the Sisters of Mercy. It is so much a part of my life. I pray to God multiple times a day, and thank Him for many opportunities, including the opportunity to run for office.”

 

Ethics investigation and the target on the frontrunner

Character attack ads and intra- and inter-party implosions are not new to Guam political campaigns. The past two weeks, Guam voters have held front seat tickets to outrageous, suspicious, and less than professional conduct by elected officials who are foes in the upcoming election. Mr. Moylan’s radio attack ads against Ms. Cruz are just the latest.

But unlike the mud being slung in the senatorial race, the contest for Guam’s delegate seat to the U.S. House of Representatives isn’t tight. Not even close. According to a recent poll by the University of Guam’s Ron McNinch, if the election were held two weeks ago, Ms. Cruz would have won by nearly a landslide, 54 percent to 46 percent.

And while candidates prefer to be seen as underdogs with momentum, Ms. Cruz’s frontrunner status places a target on her by her opponent and detractors. And so, Ms. Cruz told Kandit, it is disappointing but not surprising that her opponent is spending money to mar her record and character with misinformation.

“They don’t have a plan,” she says about her opponent’s shortcomings, arguing that because Mr. Moylan cannot win on his record, his campaign is resorting to unsubstantiated personal attacks. “Without a plan, and without the ability to do the work you’re supposed to be doing in Washington, am I surprised that the only thing they can do is throw mud and lies and try to make me look bad and create all of this negative campaigning about me personally? I’m absolutely not surprised.”

In the interview, Ms. Cruz made an allegation that the Congressional Ethics Committee actually is investigating Mr. Moylan and his office. Kandit will be following that tip and has asked Mr. Shringi for more information about this accusation.

The general election will be held on Tuesday, November 5, 2024.