Some news about three candidates in tough Ventura County races this fall who are either getting some help, or enlisting others to provide it...

-- 26th Congressional District Democratic candidate Julia Brownley will be getting some significant help from the House Majority PAC, the Super PAC with a mission to elect Democrats to the House of Representatives.

The House Majority PAC announced Friday it has reserved $1 million in cable television advertising time this fall to benefit the Brownley campaign. The ad reservation is part of $22 million in reservations ($18.5 million from House Majority PAC and $3.7 million from the SEIU) in 43 markets across the country.

The announcement should come as no great surprise. This is the same Super PAC that spent $727,000 this spring on positive TV ads promoting Brownley's candidacy in the primary. The independent expenditure was largely responsible for the fact the 26th District generated more independent spending this spring than any congressional district in California. The grand total was just under $1 million.

-- 19th Senate District Republican candidate Mike Stoker, apparently having some difficulty persuading Sacramento-based interest groups to what on paper appears to be a tough campaign, has sent an email to supporters urging them to contact the political action committees of any professional association to which they may belong and ask that they pony up for Stoker.

"Political Action Committees (PACs) in Sacramento that represent various causes and interests can play an incredibly powerful role in helping me get elected," Stoker writes in his email. "They listen to the people they represent in the district. Whether you are a doctor, realtor, banker, contractor, work in or own a restaurant, a farmer, insurance agent, etc., whether you know it our not, you have folks in Sacramento that represent your interests."

Stoker's email includes a link to a list of suggested professional groups, along with contact information for their PACs. It's not a short list; it includes about 70 groups representing such varied interests as insurance agents, pawn shops, pharmaceutical companies, beer distributors, mortgage brokers, apartment owners, car dealers, timber companies and oil companies.

The message makes clear that Stoker believes he needs special-interest support from Sacramento to be competitive. "Underscore the amount of support I have in the district and your belief that our campaign will be successful if it gets the support we deserve from Sacramento," he writes in the plea.

-- First District supervisor candidate Steve Bennett wants his supporters to do a little intelligence-gathering for him. He's asking them to respond to and write down the questions if they get contacted as part of what he says are two polls being conducted by his opponent, Bob Roper.

"As the campaign heats up, it's helpful for us to quickly know what communication is hitting the community," Bennett writes. "If you receive mail, phone calls, or social media contacts supporting Bob Roper or attacking me, it will be helpful if you contact us immediately with that information."