Posted on 08/06/2009 7:49:57 AM PDT by SmithL
WASHINGTON – As Democrats seek to fatten their lead in the U.S. House in 2010, they're taking the fight to traditionally Republican turf – and Rep. Dan Lungren is directly in their cross hairs.
Lungren, 62, of Gold River, won an eighth term to Congress last year, even though he received less than half the votes in California's 3rd District. He had previously represented a Long Beach district from 1979 to 1989.
The district's minority population has risen dramatically since 2000. And while Republicans still outnumber Democrats by 2 percent, President Barack Obama carried the district, which includes Sacramento's suburbs and parts of four nearby counties.
Smelling blood, Democrats are pouring in money, and three challengers have already surfaced.
(Excerpt) Read more at sacbee.com ...
the way it looks right now, the Democrats are going to be doing much more defending their seats, than trying to get new seats.
They will be lucky to even have a lead after the 2010 election. They better focus on keeping a bare majority...
All politics in America is racial.
Cetain Republican districts will always be “targets” just as cetain Dmocrat districts wil be targets, but I think you will see Democrats make a lot more noise about “targeting Republicans” in the coming days ahead. The poll numbers show Democrats are in trouble on the generic ballot and just like the bully that thumps his chest in a bluff, Democrats will huff and puff about “targeting Republicans”. It’s a bluff into making the public perception that Democrats are in a position of strength; they are not.
The author is from the Sacramento Bee, a McClatchy newspaper, and McClatchy is Obama’s Beobachter Zeitung.
Excellent point. Usually the weak dog barks a lot.
I’m already hearing ads on KFBK slamming Lungren for opposing healthcare reform and taking money from the healthcare industry. They’re pretty hard hitting. Pombo here in my district didn’t respond immediately to the attack ads a few years back and he’s now a former congressman.
Sacramento area has alot of state employees.
How does this explain the success of Democrats in heavily white districts in New York, New Jersey, New England, Illinois, etc? Could it be "cultural?" (ie Scots Irish Protestants more likely to vote Right than Irish Catholics, etc.).
I do agree that this country has an unhealthy obsession with race, and that keeping the peace through "political correctness" aint working.
RATs intentions and tactics are on display for one and all to see. The American people are pissed and they’re hiding under their desks. I would suggest that thinking about taking Republican seats is a tad premature considering the rage taking place in America.
Demographics favor the Democrats heavily.
There is a reason why they want to keep the flood of minorities into this country at a high level.
What I can’t understand are the Republicans who seek the same thing (Bush, McCain, Graham, Brownback).
Yeah, and there’re alot of white-flighters in the foothills to the east who aren’t in the mood to vote democrat, IMO.
Any chance of Pombo trying to reclaim the seat?
Lungren is lucky that he has rural areas in his district to compensate for all of the government bureaucrats around Sacramento.
My district. I think the last election was the result of a very lackluster campaign by Dan. He didn’t even run any ads until late in Oct. The hills and eastern suburbs of Sac are pretty conservative. I don’t expect him to get a serious challenge, but he does need to take the next campaign more seriously. When people think they see complacency it irks them.
If Dan looses the seat that means Californians have not learned any lessons from the states fiscal crisis.
I think they know that, so look for them to try and pick off vulnerable Republicans in order to keep the overall losses in the House as low as possible.
I don’t think so. Dean Andal tried last year and failed. McNerney seems to be solidifying his position. We need a strong candidate.
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