California House Endorsements, June 2008

(cross-posted from Calitics. I had substantial input on these endorsements and I agree with all of them, so I'm giving them sanction here)

Congressional Endorsements:

We are proud to be giving opinions on every race contested by more than one Democrat, and also every race with a Democrat facing a Republican incumbent (The Democratic incumbents facing no opposition don't much need our support or to raise their name recognition, though we will talk about the incumbents we like in a later post). It's a big job, but having covered these Congressional races for well over a year now, we feel that we have the insight into what's happening throughout the state to offer this slate of endorsements. See the flip for explanations.

CA-01: no endorsement
CA-02: Jeff Morris
CA-03: Bill Durston
CA-04: Charlie Brown
CA-08: no endorsement
CA-12: Rep. Jackie Speier
CA-21: Larry Johnson
CA-24: Mary Pallant
CA-25: Jackie Conaway
CA-26: Russ Warner
CA-33: Rep. Diane Watson
CA-37: no endorsement
CA-40: Christina Avalos
CA-41: Rita Ramirez-Dean
CA-42: Ron Shepston
CA-43: Joanne Gilbert
CA-44: Bill Hedrick
CA-45: Julie Bornstein
CA-46: Debbie Cook
CA-48: Steve Young
CA-49: Robert Hamilton
CA-50: no endorsement
CA-51: Rep. Bob Filner
CA-52: Mike Lumpkin
CA-53: no endorsement

CA-01: No Endorsement

Mike Thompson is a Blue Dog in a seat that doesn't require one. His lifetime Progressive Punch Score of 86.25 ranks 150th in the House of Representatives. He voted the wrong way on warrentless wiretapping and a number of other issues. So, perhaps it is best to give democracy an opportunity to work its magic in this district. Either he connects with the community and votes better, or he's voted out. So, we were interested when we heard that Thompson is being challenged by Mitchell Clogg. However, we are not sure Clogg is the right fit for the job either. We provide no endorsement in the race.

CA-02: Jeff Morris

Morris is a Trinity County Supervisor running against far-right winger Wally Herger. This is a Democratic year, and Morris is a strong candidate.

CA-03: Bill Durston

Bill Durston is back for another round against Dan Lungren. Our former Attorney General has drifted to the right in Congress. His Progressive Punch score is 4.12, substantially lower than even Tom Tancredo's 6.72. Durston's experience in Viet Nam and as an emergency room physician will serve him well in Congress. Calitics spoke to Dr. Durston in San Jose, and we were once again impressed. Durston will be a fine congressman.

CA-04: Charlie Brown

Charlie Brown is something of a netroots favorite. He's not necessarily the most progressive on all of the issues, but he's doing yeoman's work trying to turn one of the reddest districts blue. And he came close back in 2006 with a weakened John Doolittle. This time he awaits the winner of the McClintock/Ose slugfest. But don't count Charlie out. His high positives and name ID make this one of the seats to watch this year.

CA-08: No Endorsement
We do this with something of a heavy heart as we were thrilled to see San Francisco's representative become Speaker. However, since she has risen to become the first female Speaker of the House, she has disappointed on a number of issues. Most notably, she has continued to allow full and unconditional funding of the occupation of Iraq. That being said, we expect Speaker Pelosi to continue on as Speaker come 2009. With a Democratic White House and a more solidly blue Congress, we expect her to improve upon her record.

CA-12: Jackie Speier

On her first day in Congress, Jackie Speier read a speech that caused several Republicans to get up and walk out in protest. Jackie is a fighter, and has always been. She has already made her mark on Congress, and you can bet that she'll do everything to make sure San Francisco and San Mateo are heard from.

CA-21: Larry Johnson

This is the only one of three contiguous seats in the Central Valley that is actually being contested by a Democrat this year, and we appreciate former airline captain Larry Johnson's effort to unseat Devin Nunes enough to reward him with an endorsement. We spoke with Johnson at the convention in San Jose, and we like that he's come up from the grassroots (DFA, Democratic Clubs, Fresno County Democratic Central Committee) to make this challenge.

CA-24: Mary Pallant

This is one of six seats currently held by the GOP where more Democrats voted in the February primaries than Republicans, so it's definitely a seat to watch. Jill Martinez ran in this seat in 2006 and made a little headway against Elton Gallegly, but she got into this year's race late and has been stretching the truth about her campaign's financial status. Mary Pallant is a proud progressive, a "more and better" Democrat who has been impressively racking up endorsements and working the local grassroots to promote her campaign. She also has supported the Repsonsible Plan to End the War in Iraq and is a strong advocate of single-payer healthcare (this earned her the CNA endorsement). We support her candidacy.

CA-25: Jackie Conaway

Jackie is running unopposed to face Rep. Buck McKeon in this expansive district. This is another seat where Democrats outnumbered Republicans in the February primary, so in a tidal wave election this is a winnable seat. She's too far to the right on immigration issues for our taste, but we admire the spirit of this former SEIU member.

CA-26: Russ Warner

Russ Warner was new to politics in 2006 and he did not run the campaign in the primary necessary to win. Having learned from this mistake, he's back with a far superior organization and the ability to compete with Bush rubber stamp David Dreier. This is a winnable race that has been targeted by the DCCC, and we feel Warner has the best opportunity to capitalize on that, especially with his recent timely rebukes of Dreier on such issues like the housing crisis and S-CHIP. Cynthia Matthews had her opportunity to face Dreier in 2006 and came up with virtually no infrastructure to challenge him, so Warner is better positioned.

CA-33: Diane Watson

For some reason, two Democrats are challenging progressive leader and Out Of Iraq Caucus member Diane Watson in the Democratic primary. We welcome primaries, but both of these challengers, Felicia Ford and Mervin Lee Evans, ran in the CA-37 special election last year, and I don't think I'm mischaracterizing them by calling them 50 flavors of crazy. By contrast, Diane Watson is one of our better leaders in the California caucus.

CA-37: No endorsement

Laura Richardson won this seat in a 2007 special election with a nasty, divisive, racially-themed campaign to beat State Sen. Jenny Oropeza. We didn't like it at the time, and while her voting record has been fair, we see little reason to reward her now with an endorsement in her primary race against perennial candidates Peter Matthews and Lee Davis. Matthews is a solid progressive, and we would recommend him for the seat if he ever showed the potential to compete legitimately in a Congressional race despite running for them a number of times.

CA-40: Christina Avalos

There are two Democrats running to upset Rep. Ed Royce, and we feel there is no contest as to which properly represents our Democratic values. Avalos is a full-throated progressive in the mold of Rep. Dennis Kucinich, who has been endorsed by DFA Orange County, the Orange County Labor Federation and more. We add our names to the list by endorsing her grassroots campaign.

CA-41: Dr. Rita Ramirez-Dean

We're excited that four Democrats have stepped up to challenge Rep. Jerry "I've sent countless defense attorneys to college as they try to keep my butt out of jail" Lewis, but our opinion is that Dr. Rita Ramirez-Dean is the best. She has run for the Assembly in this San Bernardino-area district before, and as a 38-year educator we feel she has the best experience on that crucial issue. Hopefully she can make a run at unseating the fully corrupt Rep. Lewis.

CA-42: Ron Shepston

(disclaimer: David Dayen does some unpaid volunteer work for Shepston and his vote was not counted) In 2006, Rep. Gary Miller ran unopposed, despite revelations of seedy development deals and tax evasion that prompted an FBI investigation. This year, three Democrats have stepped up to the plate and decided to run against him. Ron Shepston was the first. He literally comes out of the netroots as a diarist on Daily Kos, and while his campaign has had its share of missteps, we feel that his profile as a veteran and an avionics engineer, his leadership during the California wildfires, and recent signs that his campaign is back on track, merits the endorsement. His positions on the issues, including support of the Responsible Plan to End The War in Iraq, are sterling.

CA-43: Joanne Gilbert

This is the only race where we have endorsed a challenger to a Democratic incumbent, and it's well-deserved. A member of the Board of Trustees for the Rialto Unified School District, Gilbert is an African-American woman who we feel can lead in this Inland Empire district far better than Rep. Joe Baca, who has done little for the district other than create a mini-political machine for his friends and relatives. These primaries are vital to keeping our elected officials honest and making them understand that their job is to represent the people.


CA-44: Bill Hedrick

While he is running unopposed in the 44th, Bill Hedrick merits an endorsement for his leadership on supporting the Responsible Plan, his lifetime of service in public education, and his courage in being the parent of three soldiers who served in Iraq. Ken Calvert is as corrupt as they come and Hedrick would be a vast improvement.

CA-45: Julie Bornstein

This district absolutely has the potential to be one of the most competitive in the state, especially considering that incumbent Rep. Mary Bono Mack is now married to a colleague from Florida while living mostly in Washington. Fortunately, we have a candidate with the proven experience and leadership to contend with her. Julie Bornstein has served much of this district before in the state Assembly, was the Director of HUD in Gray Davis' administration, and more recently she has led the Campaign for Affordable Housing, showing a policy facility with a key problem facing the country. Her work as a Community College trustee will serve her well, too. We believe that the district deserves better than a cardboard cutout like Mary Bono, and that Bornstein has the right resume to make a challenge here.

CA-46: Debbie Cook

This is one of the most exciting - and challenging - Congressional races in the state this year. Dana Rohrabacher has a long record of backing terrorists and supporting far-right causes, but hasn't done much for his Orange County district. Debbie Cook, currently mayor of Huntington Beach, is the strongest challenger to take on Rohrabacher in a LONG time - and will make a fantastic member of Congress in her own right. Cook has a firm grasp on the needs of this district, from health care to foreclosures to education. Perhaps most significantly, she offers strong expertise on energy and the environment, particularly on the impact of peak oil and the need to develop sustainable transportation alternatives. This is especially important for sprawling Orange County, and Cook's focus on alternative energy promises to help sustain the 46th District's middle class for decades to come. Debbie Cook is a truly transformational candidate, as her Calitics interview shows.

CD-48: Steve Young

Steve Young is a strong progressive who has come into his own as a Congressional candidate, after a strong first showing in the 2005 special election and again in the 2006 race. His list of issues shows how a progressive can appeal to Orange County residents - emphasizing reviving the middle class, reforming government (especially Republican lawbreaking) and helping take care of our veterans - whereas incumbent John Campbell has repeatedly failed them. Steve Young is also a member of the netroots, and will be one of our best allies in Congress.

CD-49: Robert Hamilton

Robert Hamilton is running unopposed for the Democratic nomination, but we believe he represents the values and the beliefs that make all Democrats proud. A Navy veteran, Hamilton was a critic of the Iraq war from the beginning. He is committed to universal health care for all and the need to create new and alternative sources of energy. When faced against Rep. Darrell Issa, the guy who thinks 9/11 was just a plane crash, it's no contest. Hamilton is the best choice for CA-49 and the nation.

CA-50: No endorsement

Brian Bilbray may be wrong about virtually everything, but he's at least smart enough to know it's a bad year to be the right wing ideologue that he is. This is an exceptionally vulnerable district, and we've been impressed both by Nick Leibham's infrastructure and organization and by Cheryl Ede's uncompromising, passionate campaign. Either one of them will have a great target in the general, but we aren't prepared endorse Ede until she demonstrates stronger organization or Leibham until he finds a way to consolidate a splintering activist base.

CA-51: Bob Filner

Rep. Bob Filner has been a friend and favorite for a number of years. His work as chair of the Veterans' Affairs Committee and leadership in the fight to keep Blackwater out of San Diego are just recent examples. We look forward to another term.

CA-52: Mike Lumpkin

Rep. Duncan Hunter didn't get far in his run for President, but he's still stepping aside and apparently handing the Republican nomination to his son. We've got no interest in a Hunter dynasty in eastern San Diego, but are under no illusions: this is one of the toughest slogs of any target in the state. Vickie Butcher's progressive credentials really impress us, but Mike Lumpkin's resume and strong voice calling Republicans out on superfluous wedge issues pushed him ahead by a nose. We've seen a winning recipe emerge from recent Democratic victories in conservative districts, and forcing focus onto the economic issues that are hurting Middle America is getting it done.

CA-53: no endorsement

For far too long, conventional wisdom has improperly painted this as a swing district. In reality, only 40% of California's districts are safer by PVI, making this a district that should support a strong progressive voice. While Susan Davis' leadership on issues close to our hearts like election integrity has been admirable, we're thankful that primary challenger Mike Copass has challenged her record on the war and more broadly, failing to block the failed policies of George W. Bush. Copass got a late start and has faced an uphill battle to build infrastructure, but we hope to hear more from him in the future. More importantly, we hope the focus on Rep. Davis' less than ideal record continues to sharpen.