When I was with the East Bay Young Dems on Thursday night talking about my campaign and its potential to inspire more young working class folks to run for Congress in the 2010 mid-terms, one name came up a few times: Emanuel Pleitez.

The 26-year-old activist CA-32 candidate has been in the news this week as well, after coming under blistering attack from State Sen. Gil Cedillo. And what for? Because Pleitez has Facebook pictures that show him dancing, and with women. Calitics has done some great coverage on this hit mailer, which seems to be designed to destroy Pleitez in the Latino community as Cedillo faces a tough fight with Judy Chu.

I join Calitics in an unusual endorsement in this race: Any Democrat but Gil Cedillo.

Any Democrat but Gil Cedillo.

In my generation of digital natives, this is just the sort of smarmy, ridiculous and ugly kind of behavior we fear, and I will not take it. Any Democrat but Gil Cedillo.

Worst of this is that the mailer suggests in the crudest manner that there is something wrong with Pleitez posting photos of himself with female peers. It is sickening and wrong.

Said the Pleitez campaign: “Cedillo is not only smearing the name of Emanuel, but defaming dozens of women who have no involvement with the campaign.”

Any Democrat but Gil Cedillo.

Adriel Hampton is a journalist, Gov 2.0 and new media strategist, public servant, and licensed private investigator. He is running for U.S. Congress in the 2009 special election for California’s 10th District.