[Gallegly's] Exit leaves GOP, voters with unknown candidate in Calif district

AP ^ | 3/13/6 | ERICA WERNER

[SmithL]

WASHINGTON - A longtime California Republican congressman's last-minute withdrawal of his re-election bid has brought turmoil to his party back home.

Hardly anyone can run for the seat.

In a set of circumstances that has stunned local Republicans, Rep. Elton Gallegly's name will remain on the ballot despite his surprise announcement Friday — the deadline to file for re-election — that unspecified health problems were forcing him to withdraw.

Gallegly, a 10-term Republican, apparently thought that his withdrawal meant the filing deadline would be extended and other candidates could get into the race in the strongly GOP district north of Los Angeles.

But that extension didn't kick in because Gallegly had already filed. Many Republicans learned of the vacancy in the 24th Congressional District at nearly the same time they found out it was too late for them to run, officials said.

"There's a lot of frustration on how this was handled, a lot of potential candidates who will not have the chance now to run for Congress," said Leslie Cornejo, the Ventura County GOP Party chairwoman. "I'm going to say it's unprecedented."

The only names on the GOP primary ballot will be those of Gallegly and first-time candidate Michael Tenenbaum, 37, a lawyer who appears positioned to vault from obscurity into Congress — to his own surprise as much as anyone else's.

"I got a phone call saying you're going to be a congressman, the incumbent retired, and I thought, 'Oh someone's got some bad information,' and sure enough it was true," Tenenbaum said Monday.

"Obviously fortune favors the brave," he added.

[SmithL]

Bizarre, to say the least.

[Paloma_55]

What??? We can't do like the Dems in New Jersey and just put someone else in the race???

Its not like the law is any constraint is it?

[My2Cents]

Considering the source (the SF Chron) I'm willing to give the esteemed congressman the benefit of the doubt, and assume that the Chron got it wrong.

[My2Cents]

...or the AP, rather.

[HostileTerritory]

Don't. They're correct.

[My2Cents]

Then Gallegly's an idiot.

[pabianice]

Nice timing, pal...

[MassachusettsGOP]

Anybody know anything else about Michael Tenenbaum?

[MassachusettsGOP]

From my own research:


Michael Tenenbaum

Age: Mid-30's
Profession: Lawyer-Buisnessman
Education: Undergrad UCLA, Havard Law School
Political Experiance: Recently appointed to the State GOP Central Committee by Ventura County GOP Chairman Leslie Cornejo
Religion: Jewish (President of Local Jewish Republican Coalition)
Endorsed by: Orange County Congressman Ed Royce, Ventura County GOP Chairman Leslie Cornejo
Positions: Abortion:"not criminalize abortion"
Spending:"Fiscal Hawk"
Rather Libertarian, Admires Rep. Jeff Flake (R)-Arizona.

[Conservative Firster]

Top 10 Immigration Hawks in Congress

#9. Rep. Elton Gallegly (R.-Calif.) Has called for a constitutional amendment to deny "birthright citizenship" to babies of illegal immigrants and for an end to welfare for illegals. Sponsored amendment allowing states to deny education to illegals’ children. Introduced a bill to require employers at critical infrastructure sites to use computerized system for verifying an employee’s Social Security number.

[BeHoldAPaleHorse]

My guess is that his health problems are the same as Duke Cunningham's.

[The KG9 Kid]

Gallegly was a real twit. He was basically just a long term squishy moderate from a remote district where guys keep getting re-elected to ten terms because nobody is inspired enough to run against the incumbent.

He had no activist tendencies, no significant core beliefs, and did nothing in decades that would have ever made anyone remember his name. Typical easily-forgotten real estate Republican that gets re-elected by the segment of population that always votes for 'Incumbent'. Imagine getting served toast with non-dairy margarine and decaf coffee for every single meal over thirty years and you'll have some idea what life would be like if you were Congressman Gallegly.

Lifetime 'C-' rating from the NRA.

[sangoo]

....remote district..

I wouldn't call Simi Valley remote. It is a fairly conservative area, and I think Gallegly kept getting reelected because of his strong stand on the illegal immigration issue. But you're right, he is pretty moderate.

[pogo101]

Gallegly isn't stupid, which is why this is all the more fishy, if true. Could he have been blackmailed? Cui bono? (pardon my bad Latin)

[pogo101]

From the American Conservative Union:
Representative Elton GALLEGLY (R)
California, District 23
2004 Score - 96
Previous Year's Score - 88
Lifetime Score - 89
Years of Service - 18

... which is pretty good, but you mentioned the NRA squishy rating, and he also gets a C+ from the spending hawks at National Taxpayers Union.

[Holden Magroin]

That guy had better do something about his hair if he wants to be in Congress.