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GOP down to its last Bay Area lawmaker
San Francisco Chronicle ^ | 4/21/8 | John Wildermuth

Posted on 04/21/2008 7:51:08 AM PDT by SmithL

Peninsula GOP leaders asked Atherton Republican Greg Conlon "to take a bullet for the party," he said, and run against Jackie Speier in the special election to replace the late Rep. Tom Lantos earlier this month.

The 75-year-old Conlon played the good soldier, dutifully finishing second with 9 percent of the vote, as Democrat Speier grabbed 79 percent for an easy - and expected - victory.

Across the Bay Area, more Republicans are being asked to face that same electoral firing squad, marching into legislative contests where they have little or no chance of winning behind an increasingly tattered GOP banner.

"The Bay Area and Los Angeles just have more Democrats than other parts of the state," said Tom Del Beccaro of Lafayette, vice chairman of the state Republican Party. "Our problems are worse by a matter of degree compared to (the party's) problems statewide."

There are ominous signs that Republicans in the Bay Area are flirting with political irrelevance as the region, one of the bluest in the nation, faces the possibility of having no GOP lawmakers in the state Legislature or Congress.

-- Of the 38 congressional, state Senate and Assembly seats that are either entirely or largely within the nine Bay Area counties, Republicans hold only the 15th Assembly District seat in Contra Costa and Alameda counties. And the GOP incumbent there, Guy Houston of San Ramon, is termed out this year.

-- In the 12 local congressional races in 2006, the only Democrat to get less than 66 percent of the vote was Jerry McNerney of Pleasanton, who collected 53 percent to take the 11th Congressional District seat from 14-year incumbent Republican Richard Pombo.

-- Since 2004, Republican registration has dropped in every Bay Area county,

(Excerpt) Read more at sfgate.com ...


TOPICS: California; Parties; State and Local
KEYWORDS: guyhouston; sfbayarea
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To: Impy

Anybody can be a candidate, but if you don’t put up a REAL challenger who can spend real money (either independently or by the party) and has real GOTV on their behalf, it’s little better than passing on the race entirely.


21 posted on 04/22/2008 6:21:58 PM PDT by fieldmarshaldj (~~~***Just say NO to the "O"***~~~)
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To: Darren McCarty

That was simply criminal. All those odious rodent Senators up this year that have zero credible challengers proves that this party isn’t interested in regaining the majority.


22 posted on 04/22/2008 6:23:02 PM PDT by fieldmarshaldj (~~~***Just say NO to the "O"***~~~)
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To: fieldmarshaldj

I’d add Harkin and Baucus to that list. Those aren’t very big states (Montana sure isn’t), you’d think even a state legislator could have at least half a shot.


23 posted on 04/22/2008 7:11:35 PM PDT by Galactic Overlord-In-Chief (Groundchuck Hagel and Lindsey Grahamcracker are undesirable menu items in 2008. Make new choices!)
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To: Galactic Overlord-In-Chief

I meant population-wise, not geographically.


24 posted on 04/22/2008 7:12:08 PM PDT by Galactic Overlord-In-Chief (Groundchuck Hagel and Lindsey Grahamcracker are undesirable menu items in 2008. Make new choices!)
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To: Galactic Overlord-In-Chief

There are state legislators challenging Johnson in SD and Baucus, but the party isn’t likely to fund them at all (yet they’d probably dump big $$ to an ex-first tier candidate in NJ, where we haven’t won a Senate race since 1972).


25 posted on 04/22/2008 7:52:48 PM PDT by fieldmarshaldj (~~~***Just say NO to the "O"***~~~)
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To: fieldmarshaldj

I have not seen “Serial” in years, but remember it as one of Christopher Lee’s finest hours. Martin Mull could’ve been another Albert Brooks were he not from Ohio and better connected in the industry.


26 posted on 04/24/2008 4:23:57 AM PDT by Clemenza (I Live in New Jersey for the Same Reason People Slow Down to Look at Car Crashes)
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To: fieldmarshaldj
Fact is, there’s something seriously wrong with the people that live in these places.

LOL. We're moving. Someday. Guy Houston is a stand up dude. Bill Baker(R)the former congressman from here is world class.

27 posted on 04/24/2008 4:30:42 AM PDT by Drango (A liberal's compassion is limited only by the size of someone else's wallet.)
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