Posted on 04/11/2006 12:16:46 PM PDT by NormsRevenge
SAN DIEGO - Eighteen candidates in a solidly GOP district on the Southern California coast competed in a special election Tuesday for the congressional seat once held by Randy "Duke" Cunningham, now in prison for bribery.
Brian Bilbray, a former congressman-turned-lobbyist who was the choice of the GOP establishment; Republican businessman Eric Roach, who spent $1.8 million of his own money; and Democrat Francine Busby were considered the front-runners.
Cunningham represented the House district from 1993 until he resigned in disgrace late last year. In March, the former Vietnam War fighter ace was sentenced to more than eight years in federal prison for taking $2.4 million in bribes from defense contractors.
Tuesday's race had a wide-open ballot, with 14 Republicans, two Democrats, one Libertarian and one independent. If no one got more than 50 percent of the vote, the top finisher from each party would compete in a runoff June 6.
The winner will serve out the remaining eight months of Cunningham's term, and will almost certainly try to hold on to the seat come November.
Republicans outnumber Democrats 3-to-2 in the wealthy district.
If no candidate gets more than 50 percent of the vote, the top finisher from each party competes in a June 6 contest, the same day as the primary for the midterm congressional elections.
An outright winner Tuesday or, more likely, the winner of the June contest takes a seat in Congress for the remaining eight months of Cunningham's term — and likely immediately begins campaigning to hold on to the seat come November.
With the GOP field crowded, Democrats hoped that Busby, who ran and lost to Cunningham in 2004, could score an upset, a prospect that her own campaign acknowledged was unlikely.
Voters faced an onslaught of negative campaign mailers and TV ads in the final hours before heading to the polls.
Bilbray, a surfer and one-time lifeguard, was attacked in a mailer from the California Republican Assembly, a grass-roots conservative group, that called Bilbray "a Democrat posing as a Republican."
The Bilbray campaign attacked Roach as a mystery man trying to buy an election. "His political campaign ads and mailers are everywhere. But until a few months ago, no one had ever heard of him," Bilbray's mailer said.
Former state Assemblyman Howard Kaloogian's campaign attempted to recover from an embarrassing misstep. Internet bloggers discovered that photos on his campaign Web site purportedly showing a tranquil Iraqi street scene had been taken in Istanbul, Turkey. The photos were removed.
With the GOP field busy attacking itself, national Republicans poured some $300,000 during the campaign's final week into TV ads criticizing Busby for accepting donations from lobbyists. A mailer from national Republicans claimed that the school board member and self-described soccer mom had voted to lay off teachers in 2003.
Busby retaliated by noting that Cunningham had given $2,000 of his campaign funds to national Republicans before he headed off to prison.
re: mail-in. Out here where I am we have no choice but mail in ballots.
It will be closer to 47% to 37%. Wanna bet? :)
HI...I just saw a blurb on the ticker on Fox News that says that the organizers for that May 1st protest where immigrants are supposed to not go to work , school, or go shopping...are wanting California to make it a HOLIDAY...LOL
The absentee votes are pre counted and pre cast. There is a central counting station, so ballots cast in precincts today, need to to be physcially moved. That all takes time. The days of counting ballots at the precincts themselves, are long gone. Absentees received today at the registrar, won't be counted today, along with absentees dropped off at the precincts. There are relatively few of those. But if Busby gets to 49% by say 3 am, the election cannot be called.
Overland Ave, fifteen miles north of downtown or so, half way to the district. This was an optical scan race, so you'd think we'd start getting something before ten. In November of '04, though, they started late and didn't finish for several days. The Registrar has an ongoing problem getting volunteers, and that impacts the count.
Umm.. no, that's quite alright. I was actually wondering if Chris Young (D) might get enough votes to "cost" Busby the election, so to speak (but to be sure I think that's unlikely). In other words, I'm thinking closer to 47% than 37% myself.
So, when they truck the votes down to San Diego do they detour through Las Vegas? I know traffic sucks out there, but geez.. ;^)
Thanks for the info.
Carlsbad is 30 minutes away, some of the inland boonies more, and the ballots need to be packed up, moved, unpacked, and then counted, all by low paid workers.
Just checking in.
Have been on other threads. This should be interesting, not.
Is that near the Golden Triangle or something?
No it is located in the same general neighborhood the two terrorists lived that flew the plane into the Pentagon.
PS. Between 44% and 46% for Busby was my expectation, fwiw. And Roach for the GOP nom (but Bilbray's in a slight lead on early returns).
The county of San Diego is larger than the state of Connecticut so between traffic and distance it take a
little time.
Uh.... weren't they in La Mesa?
Did you read my speculative Mormon analysis?
ABSENTEE RESULTS ONLY ==
SIGNONSANDIEGO
Unofficial results. Updated at 21:16:01 on 04-11-06.
US REP. 50TH DIST.
Counted: 4 of 445 precincts – 00.9 percent
FRANCINE BUSBY 27604 42.24%
BRIAN P. BILBRAY 9285 14.21%
ERIC ROACH 9103 13.93%
HOWARD KALOOGIAN 4866 7.45%
BILL MORROW 4723 7.23%
ALAN UKE 2727 4.17%
RICHARD EARNEST 1749 2.68%
BILL HAUF 1128 1.73%
CHRIS YOUNG 1069 1.64%
WILLIAM GRIFFITH 668 1.02%
SCOTT TURNER 568 0.87%
VICTOR E. RAMIREZ 525 0.80%
PAUL KING 472 0.72%
JEFF NEWSOME 392 0.60%
SCOTT ORREN 183 0.28%
DELECIA HOLT 169 0.26%
BILL BOYER 96 0.15%
MILTON GALE 31 0.05%
Well, I know the county's big but the 50th doesn't stretch anywhere near that far. Anyhow, I'm just griping because I'm bored and patience is not my virtue. (to put it mildly!)
What neighborhood is that?
No, where is it?
Clairemont
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