Free Republic

A special congressional election Tuesday in Southern California gave Republicans a surprising opening to seize a House seat in a Democratic stronghold and send a powerful message nationally going into 2012. Democrats hold a commanding 18-point registration edge in the district where Barack Obama notched a 31-point win in 2008, but the likelihood of a meager turnout, combined with widespread voter anxiety over the economy, could make for a tight finish. Republican businessman Craig Huey has been attacking President Obama relentlessly, arguing the nation needs deep cuts in tax, debt and spending to drive job growth. Democrat Janice Hahn has...

Hahn 21,365 Huey 18,025

Follow the results on the link. Refresh page for current results. The polls closed at 8 PM west coast time. Republican Craig Huey has a chance to pull off an upset election if enough registered republicans get to the polls.

Get anyone you know who lives in the 36th district in California to vote for this guy.

How optimistic should Republicans be about tomorrow’s special election in California’s 36th House district? The good news is that GOP challenger Craig Huey — who wasn’t even expected to make the runoff — has a fighting chance against Democratic Los Angeles city councilwoman Janice Hahn. Washington Republicans think Democrats are getting nervous, the turnout numbers for Republicans and Democrats in the early vote are surprisingly even, and the fundraising numbers were also surprisingly even at the end of June. All of this is occurring in a district that scores D+12 in the Cook Partisan Voting Index, that Obama carried with...

OUTRAGE: HAHN CAMPAIGN USED WW2 HERO'S NAME AND PICTURES WITHOUT PERMISSION! The Janice Hahn campaign has sunk to new lows! In a desperate last minute mail drop that hit residents over the weekend attempting to mislead voters and give them the impression that Hahn received an endorsement from a well known local WW2 veteran. The claim was a complete lie, the veteran in question never endorsed Hahn and the use of his pictures was unauthorized. Representatives issued the following statement making it clear that Hahn did NOT have his support!  "The Hahn campaign has been told repeatedly, both verbally and via email, that Louis Zamperini does not wish to endorse...

If you thought Scott Brown taking the late Ted Kennedy’s senate seat in Massachusetts was the biggest political upset you would ever see, you could be wrong, as a Republican is making strong strides to represent Venice Beach. Democrats often roll up landslide victories for their candidates in coastal California, especially in the 36th Congressional District, which runs from the famous Venice boardwalk through the beaches south of Los Angeles International Airport. In a season of turbulent politics, a little-noticed runoff election Tuesday for the House seat vacated by former Democratic Rep. Jane Harman has become unusually competitive. Supporters for...

Republican Craig Huey is looking to pull off an upset of the year in Tuesday’s race for a Southern California House seat — a contest in which few expected him to seriously compete. If he prevails, he will have done so largely without the help of his would-be GOP congressional colleagues. As of Friday afternoon, just seven House Republicans had contributed to Huey’s campaign. House Speaker John Boehner, a prolific fundraiser and donor, has yet to cut Huey a check. Nor has the No. 2 House Republican, Majority Leader Eric Cantor. The same goes for House GOP Conference Chairman Jeb...

Heading into its final weekend, an already nasty race for a South Bay congressional seat became uglier Thursday even before the candidates met in their only face-to-face discussion of the campaign. Democratic Los Angeles City Councilwoman Janice Hahn and Republican Craig Huey debated - and traded barbs - as they appeared on "AirTalk" on KPCC-FM 89.3. Both mostly stuck to well-honed campaign messages; Hahn to her plan to bring government-subsidized "green" jobs to the district while tackling the deficit by bringing troops home from conflicts overseas and letting tax cuts expire for wealthy Americans, Huey to taking on federal spending,...

Janice Hahn, congressional candidate in the special election to replace Democrat Jane Harmon in California's 36th District, is under fire for new charges that she used her position as a city councilwoman to funnel money to gang members and criminals in an effort to "keep the peace" between warring gangs in her Los Angeles district. This devastating report by the local Fox affiliate in Los Angeles comes just a few days before the special election.

In May, when Democrats pulled out a surprise victory in a special House election in New York, all the talk was about Medicare lessons for Republicans. Now on to California. That's where another high-stakes special election will take place on July 12, to fill the seat of former Democratic Rep. Jane Harman. Lacking a sexy Mediscare plot, it isn't getting much national play. But the bottom line is that Democrats are struggling to hold on to a blue seat, offering a vivid preview of the extraordinary economic vulnerabilities the party faces going into a presidential election. ~ snip ~ When...

Sarah Palin is making a cameo on the South Bay political scene, and it isn't part of the bus tour that created a media frenzy as she traveled the East Coast last week. Democrat Janice Hahn, a candidate for the vacant 36th Congressional District seat, is hitting the airwaves this week with a TV spot comparing Republican rival Craig Huey to the former Alaska governor and 2008 vice presidential candidate. The 30-second spot, which will run on cable channels throughout the district, blasts Huey's stance on abortion and support for GOP Rep. Paul Ryan's federal budget plan as too conservative...

Secretary of State Debra Bowen conceded the second spot in a Los Angeles-area congressional race Thursday, leaving the runoff between Democrat Janice Hahn and Republican Craig Huey. Bowen, a Democrat who represented the Southland's coastal cities in the Legislature for more than a decade, had been considered a front-runner in the contest to fill the seat vacated by the retirement of Democratic Rep. Jane Harman.

Republican Craig Huey, an advertising executive, could make a surprise advance in California's Democratic-leaning 36th District special election, according to initial results in Tuesday's race to replace Democrat Jane Harman. Due to the Los Angeles County district's Democratic lean, two Democrats were expected to top last night's "jungle primary," which featured 16 candidates of all parties running on a single ballot. But Huey narrowly edged out California Secretary of State Debra Bowen (D) by 206 votes for the second-place spot, according to preliminary results. Staff for Bowen on Tuesday night noted that 9,811 votes remained to be counted. "We are...