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"Busby had raised $2.25 million as of May 17, including $755,139 in the most recent fundraising period. She ended the reporting period with about $185,000 in cash on-hand to take her through the June 6 election. "Bilbray had raised just over $1 million in his bid for the San Diego area seat, including $630,055 in the most recent period. He ended up with just over $100,000 on-hand." [Snip] "In the most recent reporting period, though, [anti-war liberal Marcy] Winograd and [Rep. Jane] Harman were more evenly matched: Winograd raised $67,000 and Harman $101,000. Their race is being watched by some...

"As the race to replace the imprisoned Randy 'Duke' Cunningham moves closer to the June 6 election day, the stakes, intensity and consequences begin to surface in magnitudes never seen before in the bid for California's 50th Congressional District." [Snip] "Make no mistake, the key issue in the 50th District race is illegal immigration. On this issue, Mr. Bilbray has been active for many years. If there is one person this side of Lou Dobbs who has been way out in front of the rest of society on illegal immigration as an issue, it is Brian Bilbray. In 1997 (he...

"In a private conversation he had with the vice president before the luncheon, Bilbray said he told Cheney the No. 1 message he wanted Cheney to carry back to the president was 'no amnesty for illegal immigrants.' "Bilbray said that when he said that to Cheney, who did not speak with reporters Tuesday, the vice president 'said tactfully, "I hope you are on the conference committee that discusses immigration with the Senate."'"

STOCKTON - Vice President Dick Cheney on Monday campaigned for two veteran California GOP congressman who find themselves facing unexpected primary challenges as Republicans are seeking to hold onto their majorities in Congress. Cheney spoke at a private luncheon in Sacramento for Rep. John Doolittle of Roseville and during a fundraising dinner in Stockton for Rep. Richard Pombo of Tracy. Pombo, an eight-term congressman, faces the more serious challenge in the June 6 primary election. Pete McCloskey, a 78-year-old war hero and former congressman, has challenged Pombo on his environmental record and by tapping into voter unrest. A moderate, he...

Conservatives, nationwide are getting angry about the loss of principle by GOP'ers in office. Big spending in Washington and Sacramento. The inability to control illegal aliens. Failure to protect jobs and the failure to stop the social agenda of liberals in our schools in finally causing conservatives to say NO to GOP incumbents, even if it means we could lose seats in a legislative body. The thought is simple, why protect a Republican running for office if their voting record will differ little from the Democrats. In Utah, GOP Congressman Chris Cannon could not win his Parties endorsement for re-election--his...

SAN DIEGO -- It is now more than just mudslinging in the race for the 50th Congressional District. Wednesday, the Democratic Party called for an investigation into allegations of perjury and voter fraud against Republican candidate Brian Bilbray. Democrats said the proof is in property records from three homes and Bilbray’s declaration of candidacy. These are serious allegations against a man who has run a campaign saying San Diego is and always will be his home. The ad states San Diego is the home where Republican congressional candidate Bilbray said he lives. “I live in Carlsbad, taking care of my...

Latest poll has Busby, Bilbray tied at 45% each in race to succeed ex-Rep. Randy "Duke" Cunningham.

A parade of prominent national Republicans traipsing to San Diego County to raise money for Republican congressional candidate Brian Bilbray begins today with a visit by House Speaker Dennis Hastert. Bilbray is locked in a tight runoff campaign race with Democrat Francine Busby to fill the remainder of Republican Randy “Duke” Cunningham's term. Cunningham resigned and was sentenced to federal prison after pleading guilty to conspiracy and tax evasion charges related to accepting bribes. Hastert, of Illinois, will be the featured attraction this morning at a Bilbray fundraising reception at the La Jolla Marriott. Vice President Dick Cheney will highlight...

Federal lobbyist and former Congressman Brian Bilbray, the Republican, is LOSING to liberal school teacher Francine Busby, the Democrat in a “safe” GOP seat as conservatives nationally, and in this coastal San Diego County district are fed up with ‘big government’ Republicanism. I just got off of the phone with Bill Hauf. The overwhelming majority of FR readers will be unfamiliar with who that is – Hauf is one of the conservative candidates who ran in the large field to replace ‘Duke’ Cunningham in Congress. Hauf, who ran a principled campaign on the issues, didn’t fare as well as he...

SAN DIEGO - The baroque process of picking a replacement for jailed Republican Rep. Randy "Duke" Cunningham has made California's 50th Congressional District inscrutable. It will be deciphered by the evening of June 6. On April 11, the district voted on 18 candidates - 14 of them Republicans. If one had received more than 50 percent, he or she would have Cunningham's seat, at least until this November's election. Democrat Francine Busby, 55, a women's studies lecturer who in 2004 won 36 percent running against Cunningham, finished first, but with only 43.7 percent, about what Bill Clinton, Al Gore and...

Friends, I wanted to write to you and thank you in the aftermath of the Special Election for the 50th Congressional District. Unfortunately, despite our best efforts, we were unable to claim victory in this past Tuesday’s Special Election. The good news is that we managed to keep the anti-war liberal Democrat, Francine Busby, below 50% - and therefore kept her from winning this seat outright. Spending over a million dollars in the final few weeks, the liberal, anti-war extremists were dealt a stunning blow. There will now be a runoff election in June between the top two finishers....

Within hours of her first-place finish in the conservative 50th Congressional District's special election Tuesday, Democrat Francine Busby got an early-morning call from Sen. Dianne Feinstein. "She wanted to know what she could do to help," said Busby, who now faces a June 6 runoff, most likely against former California Rep. Brian Bilbray, who most recently worked as a lobbyist in Washington. Although Bilbray led fellow Republican Eric Roach by about 900 votes with all precincts reporting from election day, San Diego County election officials still have to count about 10,000 late, absentee and provisional ballots. Updated results aren't expected...

NORTH COUNTY ---- Even before Brian Bilbray appeared to clinch a narrow victory Tuesday over 13 other Republican rivals to run against Democrat Francine Busby in eight short weeks to replace disgraced former Congressman Randy "Duke" Cunningham, supporters called on the field to "unite" behind Bilbray's candidacy. But a day later, it appeared that unity could be slow in coming. Eric Roach, Bilbray's nearest Republican rival, said Wednesday through campaign managers that he might ask for a recount of votes cast in the sprawling 50th District ---- a move that would delay Republican solidarity in the weeks of campaigning left...

The Republican Party's choice to replace jailed former Rep. Randy "Duke" Cunningham remained up in the air Wednesday, with the two leading candidates separated by less than 900 votes and neither side claiming outright victory. With 100 percent of the precincts counted, lobbyist and former GOP Rep. Brian Bilbray had 19,366 votes or 15 percent of the vote in California's 50th District. Eric Roach, a venture capitalist who poured at least $1.8 million of his own money into the race, trailed with 18,486 votes or 14 percent. County officials said 10,000 last-minute absentee and provisional ballots were being tallied, with...

Last night Democratic candidate Francine Busby failed to reach the 50% + 1 mark in her quest to take the seat formerly held by Republican Duke Cunningham. She finished in the low- to mid-40's.Judging by the early reports on the election, the media is going to spin this as a good development for the Democrats in their quest to take the House. I could not disagree more.The election will go to a June runoff, but this seems to me to have been the Democrats' only real chance at this seat. GOP candidates pulled in a majority of the vote...

At Opinionjournal.com today, under the heading for Opinionjournal Political Diary, it refers to Brian Bilbray as follows: "Anti-immigrant Republican is the new favorite in San Diego's special House race" Bilbray is not anti-immigrant, he is anti-illegal immigrant. The WSJ should retract that false accusation. Regards, Allan J. Favish www.allanfavish.com

California Democrat Francine Busby's first-place showing in Round 1 of Tuesday's special congressional race may give her party a jolt of optimism in its quest to retake the House in November. But come the June 6 runoff, analysts say, reality will set in: The seat she seeks to occupy, the one vacated by the now-imprisoned Randy "Duke" Cunningham (R), represents a strong Republican district and the odds are steep against her in a two-person race against a Republican. The GOP has a 15-point registration advantage in the San Diego district. In at least the past 40 years, the Democrats have...

It won't be official until June, but Democrat Francine Busby--championed by MoveOn.org, Daily Kos, et al.--appears headed for defeat in her bid for California's 50th Congressional District, left vacant by the resignation of Rep. Randy "Duke" Cunningham. Although Busby finished first in yesterday's special election, she failed to break 50%, which means she will face a runoff against the second-place finisher. If current results hold, that will be former congressman Brian Bilbray, who has 15.15% of the vote. Busby won 43.92% of the vote as of the latest tally, but she was one of only two Democrats on the ballot...

Republican former Rep. Brian Bilbray (Calif.) will face Democrat Francine Busby in a June 6 runoff to replace convicted former Rep. Randy "Duke" Cunningham (R) in California's 50th District, according to unofficial results.Bilbray, one of 14 Republicans in yesterday's primary field, narrowly edged political newcomer Eric Roach, a wealthy investor who spent $1.8 million on his special-election campaign.Busby, a school board member who lost to Cunningham in 2004, won 44 percent of the vote in this predominantly Republican district, but it will be a steep challenge for her to overcome a distinct disadvantage among registered Democrats to win the runoff.Busby...

Busby outpaces GOP pack, falls short of outright win Republican Bilbray appears headed for June 6 runoff election By John Marelius UNION-TRIBUNE STAFF WRITER Democrat Francine Busby speaks at her Election Night party at the D Street Bar and Grill in Encinitas. SAN DIEGO – Democrat Francine Busby easily led the field of 18 candidates seeking to replace disgraced former Rep. Randy “Duke” Cunningham Tuesday and will face a June 6 runoff, apparently with Republican Brian Bilbray. Bilbray, a former San Diego congressman, clung to a slim lead over businessman Eric Roach with most of the ballots tabulated. The returns...