Rep. McClintock, R-Sacramento?
A little political intrigue for the end of the week, as a newspaper report suggests California's most recognizable conservative lawmaker may be considering a run for Congress from Sacramento.
Washington, D.C. based Roll Call reports today that state Sen. Tom McClintock (R-Thousand Oaks) may run for the U.S. House of Representatives seat representing California's 4th district. That's the seat soon vacated by Rep. John Doolittle, who has spent his final term in office under a cloud of controversy trailing back to disgraced lobbyist Jack Abramoff.
Roll Call reporter (former state Capitol scribe) David Drucker writes that a new poll conducted in the district, which stretches from the Sacramento suburbs to the Sierra foothills, shows McClintock with almost four times as much likely support as his nearest GOP challenger. And while Democrat Charlie Brown made a serious run against Doolittle in 2006, this is still one of the most solid GOP seats in the state.
It's easy to see the appeal of such a job for McClintock, whose long tenure in the state Capitol is coming to an end this year because of term limits. He gained national attention in 2003 by running as a replacement candidate in the recall election, and some die-hard California Republicans wanted him to challenge the way more moderate Arnold Schwarzenegger in the 2006 gubernatorial election. Instead, he chose to run for lieutenant governor and lost to Democrat John Garamendi. Statewide office has eluded the strong conservative before, as he lost a close race for controller in 2002 to Steve Westly.
The location of the congressional district shouldn't be too much of an issue. As Drucker reports, McClintock's familys has been living in the capital region for some time rather than commute back and forth between his legislative post in Sacramento and his Ventura county legislative district.
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John Myers is Sacramento Bureau Chief for KQED's The California Report, heard on public radio stations around the state. More about John...
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