Doug Applegate, unlike his opponent, wasn't stealing cars when he was in the militaryCalifornia, as you probably know by now, has an open-- or jungle-- primary. All candidates, regardless of party, are on the same ballot and the two top vote-getters-- also regardless of party-- go on to the general election in November. Most of the top candidates the DCCC was pushing against Republican incumbents did pretty poorly.
The other day, we looked at a list of the sneaky conservative Democrats who applied for endorsements from the Republican wing of the Democratic Party-- the New Dems and the Blue Dogs.
The CBS battleground polls of likely voters that came out over the weekend for Virginia, Arizona and Nevada, is probably worrying for operatives at the NRSC and NRCC. Sure, the results were about the presidential race but these people have long written Mr. Trumpanzee off and their worries are about Republican candidates for Congress.
Buck, Loretta and... friendJust over a week ago, we noted that Orange County Blue Dog Loretta Sanchez is, in effect, the Republican in this year's California Senate race.
Last week Congresswoman Judy Chu announced she is backing Bao for CongressBlue America endorsed Garden Grove Mayor Bao Nguyen last summer when he decided to run for the open Orange County CA-46 seat that Loretta Sanchez was giving up.
With Loretta Sanchez running for the U.S. Senate, Orange County's 46th Congressional District is be an open seat in 2016. It's a solidly blue district (D+9), and Obama won it with 59% in 2008 and with 61% in 2012. The district includes Santa Ana, Anaheim and Orange, and the voters are overwhelmingly Hispanic-American and Asian-American.
Today Blue America is endorsing progressive Democrat Bao Nguyen for the Orange County congressional seat being abandoned by Blue Dog Loretta Sanchez as she runs for the U.S. Senate. CA-46, once a deep red GOP hellhole represented by right-wing sociopath Bob Dornan, has changed drastically over the last couple of decades. The PVI is now D+9, and Obama beat McCain 59-39% and Romney 61-36%.
Last we ran into Steve Israel-Debbie Wasserman Schultz creation Val Demings, she had just lost a congressional race against weak Republican incumbent Daniel Webster in a much touted race. Although the DCCC and its allies made sure she had far more money than Webster, he beat her 52-48%, even beating her in Orange County. She spent $1,932,580 to Webster's $1,498,872 but outside big money groups spent another $4.6 million on her behalf (against $1.2 million GOP groups spent on Webster).
Dana Rohrabacher's congressional district, CA-48, stretches along the Pacific Ocean from Seal Beach, where L.A. County and Long Beach end and Orange County begins, down through Huntington Beach, Costa Mesa, Newport Beach, Laguna Niguel right to the edge of San Juan Capistrano. It's easternmost points are just beyond Fountain Valley and Aliso Viejo. It's one of southern California's redder districts with a PVI of R+7. Obama scored 46% against McCain and 43% against Romney. The district is wealthy (medium household income is $76,077, compared to $57,287 for the whole state) and white (69%).
CA-45 is entirely within Orange County... and not the more liberal part on the coast. The district goes from the Anaheim Hills, North Tustin and Irvine down to Mission Viejo and Lake Forest. The eastern part of the district beyond Silverado and Trabaco Canyon is uninhabitable. Last year Campbell won reelection against a credible Democrat, Sukee Kang, 59-41%. Campbell spent $1,421,706 and Kang spent $754,627.
