A long left to right airplane ride from California to New York State gave me time to research more fully the FEC reports and e-campaigns from the 14 candidates in the Special Election for Ellen Tauscher’s seat in Congressional District 10. Here’s what I’ve seen in print and on the ground –
Lt. Gov. John Garamendi – Declared the “frontrunner” due to his statewide pedigree – nobody has seen the guy in CD-10 in the last few weeks. He raised $300,000 in the latest filing and had $260,000 COH. His most interesting donor is former “St. Elsewhere” Actor and now political activist Ed Begley, Jr.
At a recent Innovation Summit in Livermore, Garamendi was questioned after his luncheon speech about what he would do to increase innovation beyond increasing government funding. He really had no clear answer beyond spending more money however his name ID might just carry him to the run-off.
State Sen. Mark DeSaulnier – Mark is Contra Costa’s favorite son. The turncoat Republican to Democrat has pivoted two and fro for years with great success. He’s currently touting his stance on single payer health care and even spent money on a costly mailer to taxpayers giving them tips on healthy living.
DeSaulnier backers include former CD-10 Congresswoman Ellen Tauscher. Forget the bogus Hatch Act charge; it is irrelevant and she supported him both in name and with a sizable financial contribution prior to taking office at the State Department. Supervisors Susan Bonilla and Federal Glover, Congressman George Miller, State Sens. Tom Torlakson and Loni Hancock join major Contra Costa and Alameda County personalities David Bowlby, Bruce Cain (the UC Berkeley professor), Tomi Van de Brooke, Angie Coffee, and Jim Ghielmetti in support. Commercial developers hosted events for DeSaulnier and his backers include power brokers Sil Garvaventa, Alex Mehran and Albert Seeno. Labor Unions like the UFCW, CA Carpenters, Boilermakers, Machinists, and Sheet Metal Workers are on board. DeSaulnier’s $212,000 raised and $260,000 COH coupled with his widespread district support makes him the real frontrunner.
Assembly woman Joan Buchanan – Not “one of the boys”, Buchanan, the only female in the field, boasts an endorsement from former Superintendent of Schools Delaine Easton and financial support from beloved Democrat leader Marry Warren. Other than those two, she has shown less in endorsements and financial backing – raising $64,000 ($12,000 from her kids) and adding a $250,000 personal loan.
Buchanan still holds the “Don’t Count Her Out” card because Democrat voters love female candidates. She stands a great chance though word in the media is that Assembly Speaker Karen Bass isn’t exactly thrilled with her flying the Sacramento coop in the targeted 15th AD to run for Congress after only 118 days in office. Buchanan is waging an impressive district precinct campaign including an aggressive sign campaign as evidenced by her campaign manager’s aggressive photo op in a recent e-alert.
Side note: Should Buchanan lose on September 1st, she’s still positioned well to run for State Senate if DeSaulnier is the victor. If she’s forced to run again in AD 15, she will face a much more serious challenge by Mayor Abram Wilson whose strong financial showing ($56,400 raised in 28 days from 105 in-district donors) beat Buchanan’s numbers ($43,800 raised from January to June from 35 Sacramento special interests). Go to www.ss.ca.gov for state reports filings.
Anthony Woods – Without a doubt the most interesting Democrat, Woods is African American and like almost all the Democrat candidates, favors repealing “Don’t Ask Don’t Tell”. Woods completed two tours of service in Iraq and has done well with Act Blue donors raising $105,000 with an amazing number of donors. His media appearances demonstrate national interest in his candidacy.
Ariel Hampton – he supports parental school choice – that stuck out for me as someone who also supported that when I ran for Assembly. But Hampton’s unimpressive $22,500 raised and $300 COH probably eliminates him.
David Harmer – Fresh off the California Republican Party’s endorsement this week, Harmer will be the top-vote getter among Republicans on September 1st. He raised an impressive $175,000 and had $145,000 COH. I’d love to see Harmer get 50% + 1 so we can avoid the runoff and send a real fiscal conservative to Congress but that is unlikely and the numbers could be insurmountable in the Nov. 3rd runoff with Democrats holding a nearly 19-point advantage. Still, Harmer is doing everything right. If the sun, moon, and stars are in direct alignment and the Obama health care “prescription” continues to draw big anti-tax crowds, Harmer could squeak by. If you believe in miracles – Harmer’s your guy.
Gary Clift – got the Republican Liberty Caucus of California endorsement this week (which begs the question, who’s the Republican Liberty Caucus?)
Nothing significant to report on the other candidates running and right now, DeSaulnier and Harmer look best positioned as the (D) and (R) vote getters on September 1st. Stay tuned.