Associated Press - Two Seats Heat Up Calif. Congressional Races

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Associated Press - Two Seats Heat Up Calif. Congressional Races

By ERICA WERNER

A Democrat who came close to pulling off an upset in 2006 is trying again this year, while a Democrat who accomplished the feat last time around is aiming to extend his incumbency.

Those are the two hot contests out of 53 House races in California, where congressional districts are drawn to protect the incumbent party. While lawmakers face voters every two years, incumbents usually are assured of success.

"Most of the districts are packed with Democrats, and a smaller number are packed with Republicans. Very few are competitive. And that's intentional," said Jack Pitney, a congressional specialist at Claremont McKenna College in Southern California.

In 2006, only one House seat in the state changed party hands, when political neophyte Jerry McNerney, a Democrat, upset Republican Richard Pombo, then the chairman of the House Resources Committee.

McNerney's victory in the 11th Congressional District, which stretches from the eastern San Francisco Bay area to the San Joaquin Valley, put the party breakdown in California's House delegation — the nation's largest — at 34 Democrats and 19 Republicans.

Neither of California's U.S. senators, Dianne Feinstein and Barbara Boxer, is up for re-election this year.

McNerney's seat is high on Republicans' wish list for November. Their candidate is Dean Andal, a former member of the state Assembly and California Board of Equalization. Andal is attacking McNerney, a wind energy engineer before he came to Congress, as "way off the track for our district."

Andal lives in Stockton in the more conservative Central Valley part of the district, while McNerney lives in Pleasanton, a tony East Bay suburb. Andal said McNerney is too liberal and doesn't understand the district.

"His only advantage is the financial resources of big labor, trial lawyers and the (Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee), so this will be a good test of whether that would be enough to win a congressional race," Andal said. "I don't think it is."

Republicans maintain a registration edge over Democrats in the 11th district — 41.3 percent to 38.4 percent — but the gap has narrowed since 2006, when Republicans enjoyed an edge of 5.7 percentage points. Nearly 17 percent of the district's voters are independents.

The respected Cook Political Report rates the district "lean Democratic."

McNerney said he has been working hard to get out in his district and interact with voters, returning frequently from Washington to meet with veterans groups, community organizations and local officials. Ed Chavez, the Republican mayor of Stockton, recently endorsed McNerney.

"It's nearly impossible to spend a Saturday in Stockton without running into him," Chavez said.

"The thing that I'm really proud of is that I'm in the district every week trying to help people," McNerney said. "I'm working hard to bring money home, and I think that I will be able to bring new energy technology jobs to the district given a little bit of time and transform the economy in a positive way."

The state's other competitive race also is in Northern California in the far-flung 4th Congressional District, which stretches north and east from the suburbs of Sacramento.

Incumbent Rep. John Doolittle, R-Rocklin, is retiring after nine terms after becoming the focus of federal prosecutors in the long-running Jack Abramoff lobbying scandal.

Doolittle has denied wrongdoing and has not been charged, but he came close to losing the seat in 2006 to Democratic newcomer Charlie Brown, even though the district is among the most conservative in California.

Brown is the Democratic nominee again this year but faces a much tougher challenge against state Sen. Tom McClintock, who represents the Thousand Oaks area in Southern California. McClintock has faced accusations that he is a carpetbagger because he is running for a congressional seat so far from his Southern California district, but he is beloved by California conservatives for his perennial stands against raising taxes and spending.

McClintock gained a statewide platform through unsuccessful campaigns for governor, lieutenant governor and controller. He emerged as the GOP nominee in June after a scrappy primary contest against a more moderate Republican, former Rep. Doug Ose.

"The question in this district is who best represents the principles and values and beliefs of the constituents of this district, and that's a pretty clear-cut case," McClintock said. "The time I have spent in politics has been spent fighting against the taxes and regulatory burdens and fiscal mismanagement which have now brought California's economy to its knees."

McClintock's personal conduct sometimes raises questions about his commitment to the fiscal responsibility he pledges.

During the Legislature's nearly three-month budget impasse this summer, when rank-and-file lawmakers such as McClintock were largely absent from budget negotiations, he continued to collect payments for daily living expenses intended for legislators whose districts are far from Sacramento.

While McClintock represents a Southern California district, he and his family live in Elk Grove, a suburb just south of the state capital. Nevertheless, he accepted $7,140 in per diem payments from July 1 through Aug. 31, on top of his legislative salary of $116,208 a year.

Most lawmakers of both parties join McClintock in accepting the per diem payments.

An Associated Press investigation into lawmakers' use of state-issued gasoline charge cards raised questions about McClintock's use of pool vehicles that are provided to state senators. Those vehicles generally are intended for senators who must fly to the capital from their districts and need a vehicle to get around Sacramento.

According to legislative records, McClintock charged California taxpayers more than $500 for gasoline used in a pool vehicle during the first seven months of the year. It's not clear why he needed the car since he lives near Sacramento and already has a state-issued vehicle, a 1998 Mercury Grand Marquis. McClintock did not return a call seeking an explanation when the AP reported the story in late September.

In the general election campaign, McClintock is reviving an issue employed by Doolittle two years ago to question Brown's patriotism.

He has been running television ads showing Brown's attendance at a 2005 anti-war rally at a home featuring a controversial display hung below the rafters: a soldier's uniform adorned with a sign reading "Bush Lied. I Died."

McClintock's ads contend that Brown attended the rally while in uniform. Brown says he was only wearing a camouflage jacket and simply dropped by the rally to check it out, talked to activists on both sides and left.

Brown is a 26-year Air Force veteran who donates 5 percent of the campaign contributions he takes in to veterans' charities. McClintock never served in the military.

Brown counters that McClintock failed to support funding for veterans programs in the state Senate. He also is trying to cast McClintock as a career politician shopping for a job. McClintock is being forced by term limits from his state Senate seat and decided against challenging the incumbent congressman in his Southern California district, Simi Valley Republican Elton Gallegly.

"It's a clear choice between someone who's been a career politician, part of the problem all of the time, versus someone who's been career military, tied to results," Brown said. "I have lived in the district, worked in the district, raised my family in the district, and I want to represent the district to solve some of the problems here, not use it as a stepping stone for another office."

Doolittle himself is barely a factor in the race, despite efforts by the Brown camp to link him to McClintock. McClintock has emphatically distanced himself from the incumbent.

Asked about Doolittle, McClintock said: "I think a number of congressmen went there meaning well and lost their way."

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