Free Republic

With the television writers strike over, many people here in Ventura County may have tuned into the TV show Brothers and Sisters when it resumed airing last night to complete its last 4 episodes of the season. With much of the show set here, in our very own Ojai, the intense Republican primary race of the fictional character Senator McAllister plays can easily distract us from the politics facing us in reality. It is the similarities to this campaign that a primary challenger, Michael Tenenbaum faces as he runs for congress. Equally as handsome as Rob Lowe who plays a...

Michael Tenenbaum says most people he meets while campaigning in local communities don't know who their congressman is. "It's not your fault you don't know," Tenenbaum tells them. "If he'd done something you'd know him." Tenenbaum, 37, is speaking of his June 6 primary election opponent, Elton Gallegly of Simi Valley, the 20-year congressman for the 24th District, which covers parts of Santa Barbara and Ventura counties, including Thousand Oaks. Voters will choose one of the two Republicans for the November election ballot. What many people do know about Gallegly, 62, adds Tenenbaum, is that Gallegly unexpectedly announced his retirement...

Congressman Elton Gallegly announced today he would not run for reelection, citing "a medical issue that is yet to be resolved." In a press release, Gallegly said it has been a privilege to have served Ventura County for the past 20 years, but said "circumstances over the past two weeks have convinced me that it is now time to begin the next chapter of my life."

WASHINGTON - A longtime California Republican congressman's last-minute withdrawal of his re-election bid has brought turmoil to his party back home. Hardly anyone can run for the seat. In a set of circumstances that has stunned local Republicans, Rep. Elton Gallegly's name will remain on the ballot despite his surprise announcement Friday — the deadline to file for re-election — that unspecified health problems were forcing him to withdraw. Gallegly, a 10-term Republican, apparently thought that his withdrawal meant the filing deadline would be extended and other candidates could get into the race in the strongly GOP district north of...