McCain got just a third of the vote in this bay area suburban seat, Bush 40% both of his times. The Austrian carried it with 56%. It was created in 1992 and went Republican. It’s been rat held since 1996. 20-30 years ago this would probably have been a GOP seat.
Not a likely gainer. Still we ought to take a whack at it.
In the last few days, I’ve seen some names lining up to run. One report said that the RNC is looking to central casting for a celebrity name (Brent Jones).
From WSJ, John Fund: “Former GOP Assemblywoman Lynne Leach told me she isn’t interested in running but said that Tom Del Beccaro, who is vice chair of the state’s Republican Party, would be a strong candidate. Catherine Moy, a city council member in Fairfield, could also expect strong support in the Solano County portion of the district. But perhaps the most intriguing potential candidate would be Warren Rupf, who has been elected Contra Costa sheriff four times. A 40-year veteran of the sheriff’s department, he has a good-government image and would be a formidable contender. The election is likely to be held in August or September, depending on when Ms. Tauscher is confirmed by the Senate as the State Department’s new top arms control negotiator. The outcome may hinge on whether Democrats have a divisive primary and if Republicans can coalesce behind a single candidate.”
SF Chron: “Republicans are already mentioning a few possible names: Abram Wilson, the African American and moderate Republican mayor of San Ramon, who narrowly lost race for state Assembly last fall; Jones, the former 49er who lives in Danville, and who GOP aides have tried to coax to run against Rep. Jerry McNerney, D-Pleasanton; and Tom Del Beccaro, the state Republican Party vice chairman, who lives in Lafayette.”
Actually, a good part of that district was carved off in ‘92 to elect Bill Baker to get as many Republicans as possible out of Ron “Red” Dellums’s then-district. He always had a substantial minority of people who voted against him (and they weren’t all Republicans, either. This guy offended a lot of non-Stalinist Democrats). A friend of my father’s lived in that chunk of the district (Walnut Creek/Lafayette) prior to the ‘90 redistricting, and when we visited him, he gave us an earful about how horrible that Commie was.