Posted on 01/11/2006 3:56:16 PM PST by NormsRevenge
CARLSBAD – Rep. Darrell Issa said Wednesday morning that he was endorsing former Republican congressman Brian Bilbray and will serve as his campaign chairman in the race to replace disgraced Rep. Randy "Duke" Cunningham in the 50th District. Pointing out that his district, the 49th, is touched on all sides by the 50th, Issa, R-Vista, said he needs a partner in Washington D.C. who has the experience and integrity to get work done on behalf of the North County.
"When you are looking for someone who is trusted and proven and who has been in the arena and has been bloodied a bit you could not find a better person than Brian Bilbray," Issa said in a news conference at Maxton Brown Park on Laguna Drive, with the Buena Vista Lagoon as a backdrop.
Issa said Bilbray is a proven leader who has been at the forefront of on issues important to North County, such as illegal immigration.
Bilbray, who represented Imperial Beach in Congress from 1994-2000, authored the "birth-right" legislation that is part of the immigration reform package now being considered in Washington, Issa said
Bilbray said he was honored by Issa's endorsement and looked forward to his active participation in his campaign.
"Darrell Issa is a man who knows what need to be done in North County and San Diego and he knows what need to be done in Washington D.C," Bilbray said.
Bilbray also announced that Roxana Foxx, former chairwoman of the San Diego County Republican Party, would serve as a co-campaign finance chair.
Bilbray also picked up the endorsement of the Deputy Sheriff's Association of San Diego County from President Jim Duffy, who said that Bilbray would work on homeland security issues important to law enforcement.
Issa said Bilbray, if elected, will have more senority than he does in Washington and will be "first in line" for key personal, committees and even his choice of offices.
But that's Ok with Issa. "He will take the best he can, but he will do what is right for this district," Issa said.
Among the others in the race are two Democrats – Francine Busby and Chris Young – and six Republicans. The GOP candidates are state Sen. Bill Morrow, R-Oceanside; former Assemblyman Howard Kaloogian of San Marcos; former Del Mar mayor Richard Earnest; businessman Alan Uke of Del Mar and Ken King of Rancho Santa Fe.
Cunningham resigned in November after pleading guilty to conspiracy and tax-evasion charges stemming from his dealings with defense contractors. He is scheduled to be sentenced Feb. 27.
The 50th Congressional District runs along the North County Coast from Carlsbad south to Del Mar and also includes the cities of San Marcos and Escondido as well as the neighborhoods of Rancho Santa Fe, University City, La Jolla and Rancho Bernardo.
"Issa's endorsement is very strange."
From what I'm reading, Bilbray should have a (D) next to his name. Gun-control, abortion, gay rights, federal funding of stem cell research, ganGREEN environmentalist,....
Morrow or Kaloogian would be great.
Damn straight.
I'd be SO PROUD to have him represent our 51st district.
We're stuck with Filner.
Kaloogian is also promising. Bilbray's got experience.
Two good men about to be mercilessly vilified.
I lived in San Diego continuously from 1969 until 2002. The pictures I posted came from a big Tyranny Response Team protest outside the hotel where funds were being raised to defeat Bilbray. Compared to Davis, he is conservative. He's not nearly as conservative as Kaloogian. Brian is not particularly pro-2nd Amendment either.
As you point out, Howard needs to get his home address into the district AND become familiar with the issues. Cunningham was my rep and lived next door to my babysitter for many years. He knew the district issues. Howard AND Brian need to spin up and demonstrate knowledge of the district's issues.
My condolences. Commie Bob. A proud member of the Democratic Socialists of America. His "groupies" show up at press conferences adorned in red T-shirts to show support for his communist preferences.
I just looked up Issa's voting record on abortion, and it is excellent, with the sole exception of his vote in favor of federal funding for embryonic stem-cell research on embryos "donated" by artificial-insemination clinics. But I could have sworn that he campaigned as pro-choice on abortion when he ran in the GOP Senate primary in 1998 and when he first ran for Congress in 2000.
Ugh. He's awful.
Yes, the issues we are dealing with today are the ones he
is big time conservative.
As someone living in this county, he knows what is going on unlike the other guy.
Sacramento isn't "some town" and he has it there because the CC system and people to handle paperwork was already in place with Move America Forward that he co founded with Melane Morgan.
He also lives in the district, Carlsbad, and unless he's moved recently Bilbray doesn't.
I know you lived here. We need someone who lives in the
county not northern Calif. Bilbray can best deal with the
border problems as he stnads with the most conservative
with this issue.
"Issa's endorsement is very strange."
Darrell Issa is very strange.
Bilbray was defeated in 2000, 2 years before redistricting. If he wants to try for his old seat, be my guest. We want a Conservative in this district, the righter the better.
"We're stuck with Filner."
You'd be wise to register as a Democrat and vote for Assemblyman Juan Vargas, a pro-life moderate who's challenging Filner in the primary.
Do you know what a voting record is ?
We don't need to attract "D's" in this uber-Republican seat. Let Bilbray run in a Democrat district and try to win, like his old seat.
Hey, but don't you know, he's a CONSERVATIVE !
Excuse me while I grab my "Lost" air-sickness companion bag.
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