Remainders
Democratic Governor's Association launched an independent-expenditure campaign in California.
Steve Cooley, Republican district attorney in Los Angeles, formed an exploratory committee for the state's attorney general.
Carpetbagger switch: Larry Pegram dropped out of the 11th Congressional District campaign and backed David Harmer, who said Republican leaders reached out to him about running.
It was Elizabeth Emken's turn for a Manteca Bulletin puff piece.
In the nearby 19th Congressional District, Richard Pombo seeks a return to Congress. In an editorial, the Los Angeles Times says, "this is a comeback we don't need."
It's the other things we know about Pombo -- that he's rabidly anti-environment, ethically challenged, overly eager to hand public resources to private corporations -- that worry us and were among the reasons a Democratic challenger was able to oust the seven-term Republican from his reliably GOP seat in 2006. Endorsement season hasn't started yet, but we don't need a campaign to know that Pombo would not contribute anything useful if he rejoined the House of Representatives.
FDL provided steady coverage of the Proposition 8 trial's first day.
CA-11: GOP Debate Scheduled for Jan. 11
Several Republican candidates will meet in Manteca on January 11 to debate their candidacies for the GOP nomination to take on sophomore House Rep. Jerry McNerney.
Candidates Tony Amador, Robert Beadles, Elizabeth Emken, Brad Goehring, Larry Pegram and Jeff Takada are expected to attend. They are running for the seat held by Rep. Jerry McNerney, D-Pleasanton.
Let's take a look at the candidates:
De facto front-runner Brad Goehring, a self-financier described as a "Pombo-lite," may have to answer for comments he made boasting his use of undocumented labor in his business. With Jon Del Arroz out of the race due to his son's health, Goehring dwarfs the competition in the money race.
Perhaps the most interesting aspect to watch for is if Tony Amador, known as the "lazy candidate" of the bunch, even shows up at all. His Twitter account has been dormant for almost two months. The last tweet is regards his announcement to run. The Flickr account's most recent photos are from September 17. His participation in the debate is news unto itself. Should Amador show up at all, will the settlement of a 1993 sexual harassment suit become an issue?
Robert Beadles, a small businessman from the Central Valley, is a man of many contradictions. Much to his credit, Beadles created a successful small business after a tough life struggling to get by. It is an admirable story and Beadles makes it the backbone of his candidacy. But that's when the message goes off the rails and he goes Craig T. Nelson. Excerpt from his biography:
I am not your typical candidate. I don’t have a doctorate degree, my parents did not graduate from some ivy league school, nor were they ever ambassadors to some foreign country. What I do have, I have built and earned on my own.
My family and I have pulled ourselves up from the bootstraps, and we are now living the American Dream. I pride myself on doing what is right and just, because at the end of the day, we all have to face our accomplishment and our failures. [emphasis added]
Just a few short paragraphs prior, Beadles notes that he depended on welfare, food stamps and Medi-Cal.
Like many young families, we struggled to make ends meet. I swallowed my pride and did what was necessary to support my family. We depended on food stamps, welfare, and Medi-Cal and I worked several jobs. [emphasis added]
To be certain, there is no shame in seeking and accepting government assistance when it is necessary but Beadles wants to fashion himself in the mold of a Tea Party ideal that is not true. Beadles created a successful small business, nobody can take that away from him. But this "bootstraps" is misleading rhetoric used for political reasons. (Update: A reader points to the lone item posted under "welfare" on the Beadles website, which is an article from the Washington Times that decries the "welfare-state" so add "hypocrite" to his list of accomplishments.)
Here's hoping Elizabeth Emken shows up with something a little more fleshed out than what's her campaign has done already.
A thing to watch for with Larry Pegram is what, if any, role his involvement in the Values Advocacy Council play in the debate. Pegram strikes me as too much of an evangelical conservative. That read will be tested at the debate. Since Pegram is moving into the district, maybe he's brushed up on the recent history and learned that McNerney was first elected in 2006, not 2008.
Jeff Takada, a Manteca high school teacher, is a phantom candidate that only exists on paper thus far. He has generated no news other than his involvement in the debate and no known web presence. (Update: A representative with the Takada campaign contacted me over the holidays to say that their website is now up.)
CA-11: Pegram’s Values Advocacy Council
Pegram speaks at a VAC event.
Larry Pegram, a former San Jose city councilman that plans to run for the Republican nomination to challenge Jerry McNerney next fall, co-founded and served as president of an organization called the Values Advocacy Council, which gets a passing mention on his campaign website.
Unfamiliar with the organization and Pegram as well, which his campaign website lacking much substance, it prompted me to browse around a bit.
The purpose of the VAC, below Pegram's photo, is described as such:
The Values Advocacy Council was formed in 2003 to be a voice for Christian values in public policy matters in Silicon Valley. We work to help elected and non-elected officials to make values based decisions and take values oriented actions.
The content "Our Real Roots" page is lifted from the Property Rights Research website.
Among the list of "Accomplishments," Pegram boasted about their efforts in last year's Yes on Proposition 8 campaign.
Among the list of issues is a letter signed by Larry Pegram outlining VAC's position on homosexuality, in addition to a position paper opposing children being raised by gay parents.
Larry Pegram, a far-right conservative of the tallest order, is Tony Perkins wannabe and he wants a seat in Congress.
CA-11: Pegram Doesn’t Know When McNerney was Elected
It appears Pegram believes McNerney is a freshman congressman ''swept in by the Obama wave.''
A former San Jose city councilman and police officer, Larry Pegram, intends to seek the Republican nomination to run against Jerry McNerney next year.
But first, he has to move into the district.
Republicans have hammered John Garamendi, a candidate for neighboring 10th Congressional seat, who lives just outside the district boundaries. It is a potential line of attack Pegram would need to be weary of when assembling local support from Republicans who may have lobbed such attacks on Garamendi.
That may be putting the cart before the horse, however, as Pegram exhibited an utter lack of knowledge of the district's history.
Asked why he chose to challenge McNerney rather than run in another district, Pegram replied, "The 11th is a Republican district, and it's a district that needs to get back into the Republican column. I think (McNerney) was swept in by the Obama wave." [emphasis added]
McNerney was "swept in by the Obama wave"? Hilarious, really.
Truth is McNerney defeated Richard Pombo in 2006, not 2008, by roughly six points after a 22 point drubbing in 2004. Last year, McNerney expanded his margin of victory to roughly 10 points, defeating Dean Andal.
Pegram's website features a bare-bones page on the district and it looks like he needs to do a little reading of his own. The site won't tell visitors anything about where he stands on the issues, but he'll gladly take their money anyway.
Updated Well, I can forget about that request to follow ever getting accepted.
CA-11: McNerney Attracts List of Challengers
McNerney, who won a second term by 11 points last year, has attracted eight challengers.
Jerry McNerney, the two-term Democratic incumbent in California's 11th Congressional District, posted a huge fundraising lead over his potential Republican challengers. McNerney's campaign posted receipts of $816,000 in the third quarter with over $600,000 in the bank.
Republican leader in the numbers game, Lodi grapegrower Brad Goehring, reported $734,000 in receipts but he's largely self-financed with a $650,000 check written to himself. His fundraising numbers were otherwise anemic with $80,000 coming from other contributors. Jon Del Arroz, a Danville businessman, loaned his campaign $230,000 and raised roughly $80,000 from other contributors.
Other Republican candidates posted $30,000 or less in contributions.
Meanwhile, another Republican candidate announced their candidacy: Danville resident Elizabeth Emken is the former vice president of Autism Speaks and the only female candidate in the race.
Full list of Republican candidates, adapted from Contra Costa Times reporter Lisa Vorderbruggen's list, below: