The Unlikeliest Winner [Johnny Tacherra competitive in CA-16 may have won]

The National Review Online ^ | November 12, 2014 | Andrew Johnson

[Cincinatus' Wife]

".....As of publication time, Republican Johnny Tacherra is leading longtime Democratic lawmaker Jim Costa in the yet-to-be-decided race for the Golden State’s 16th congressional district. With provisional ballots still to be counted, and with a 700-plus-vote cushion, Tacherra is confident that he will survive. He and his wife are heading to Washington, D.C., on Wednesday to take part in freshmen-member orientation on Capitol Hill.......

....The New York Times put the race on its “Democrats Are Expected to Win Easily” list, and the Cook Political Report labeled the seat as “Solid Democrat,” or uncompetitive. Republican national committees and organizations stayed out of the race, putting Tacherra at a nearly four-to-one cash disadvantage. A look through Tacherra’s donor list reveals mainly local ranches, farms, and creameries.

Tacherra didn’t let the uphill fight faze him. With limited resources, he capitalized on his strengths, says California-based Republican consultant Carl Fogliani: a personal understanding of local issues, and his likeable personality. He realized that the best way to get the word out and win over voters was to interact with as many people as possible across the district, and no event was too small for this purpose.

“I was stopping by family picnics in the park, neighborhood barbecues,” Tacherra says. Eventually, he began showing up at Democrat-friendly events, such as labor-union meetings, much to Costa’s irritation when the two ran into each other at one.

“He told me it was like him showing up at tea-party events,” Tacherra recalls. “I told him he’s more than welcome to go to those.”....

[Carry_Okie]

And then -- one has to sift through the b.s. and dig deep in things such as campaign finance to find who is who, and what is going on.

That's just one of the problems with term limits. You don't know who "stays bought" and to whom.

[gracie1]

Yes it is. Tacherra stated in a radio interview that he decided to run PRECISELY because Costa refuses to represent the interests of his district, but to follow party marching orders. He was one of 5 democrat holdouts over Obamacare. His price was federal money for a white elephant bullet train to nowhere. Could have asked for some easing of ESA water restrictions. That would have cemented ag support. But NO POOL.