(Thanks for the update. - promoted by Brian Leubitz)
Lots happening down in CA-24. Brian Dennert has several scoops. First, Elton Gallegly's anemic fundraising:
What's on his agenda? He doesn't appear on television much, he doesn't hold town hall forums, and he isn't going to be passing much legislation being in the minority party. In the last quarter he raised: $42,057.75
Should Democrats and Republicans interested in running get encouragement from those numbers that he might be retiring? He does have more than $800,000 in his warchest which should prove effective at protecting him if he does run again. But is a slow fundraising period a sign that he is retiring?
In what I can only describe as a shocking development, Jim Dantona, the moderate Democrat looking to notch a pickup in the Thousand Oaks/Simi Valley/Santa Barbara Senate seat held currently by Tom McClintock, has dropped out of the race, clearing the field for Hannah Beth-Jackson. This will allow Jackson to go up against Tony Strickland, in all likelihood, in this Senate seat which is rapidly becoming a bluer district. Here's his statement:
"Our polling shows I could defeat Strickland by as much as 10% and I would certainly do well against Jackson here in east Ventura County where polling indicates she is a relative unknown. But my intention was never to run against a fellow Democrat for this seat. I was running to bring leadership to this district that represented the will of the people, instead of the continual fringes of partisanship."
"Even with solid polling numbers, Jackson and I would have to spend a fortune against each other and that was never my intention. Tony has already put together a healthy war chest with no primary battle. The reality is that if we fight each other, we may as well hand him the Senate. I am a team player and I wish Hannah Beth only best in her race."
"As for me, business is very good and I am sure to be back and forth between Sacramento, Washington D.C. and Simi Valley. I am in negotiations with several companies in Italy and I've been asked to get involved in the Presidential elections, which I am very much looking forward to." (Dantona previously consulted for Presidents Bill Clinton and Jimmy Carter)
"I will continue to work for the causes I believe in and I will always reach across the political aisle to garner support for our community."
I did not see this one coming, but I wish Hannah-Beth Jackson great luck in turning this seat blue and getting us closer to a 2/3 majority in the Senate. Hopefully Dantona will assist in that effort. And I'm excited that we'll get a real test to see just how this district is trending.
(The second in an occasional series of articles highlighting California legislative districts and candidates that could provide Democrats with a vital 2/3 majority.)
On the drive out from Santa Monica to Simi Valley, there's a moment when you know that you've left Los Angeles County and ventured into Ventura. Suddenly, the greenery recedes away, the canyon walls rise, and the scene becomes positively dramatic. If you let your mind wander, you could picture yourself in the middle of a John Ford movie backdrop or a national monument somewhere in Utah, despite being just 35 miles from downtown LA.
I was headed out to a fundraiser, driving along the 118 Freeway, which area transportation poohbahs see fit to remind you is named the "Ronald Reagan Freeway" about every 8/10th of a mile. Astonishingly enough, this was a Democratic fundraiser. For a candidate seeking a seat held by Tom McClintock, arguably the most rock-ribbed conservative in the entire state. And it's a seat Democrats can win. Things are changing along the Ronald Reagan Freeway.
Yesterday, a good friend of Calitics, and somebody whom I hold in very high regard, former Assemblywoman Hannah-Beth Jackson, announced that she was going to run for the 19th Senate District. The seat is currently held by Tom McClintock, who is termed out (unless the term limits measure passes). Ms. Jackson is a progressive. Pure and simple, there is no arguing that. Not only that, she is our kind of progressive. She founded SpeakOut California and has been reporting from the Capitol about issues that matter to us. She is one of us.
However, she is not the only Democrat in the race. On the other corner, we have political consultant Jim Dantona, whose prior experience includes losing an election for Ventura County Supervisor last year and staff work for Senate Pro Tem David Roberti. While he's not known as a progressive, he does raise the specter of a costly primary battle and would be a strong candidate in his own right. However, while Perata seems to be supporting Dantona, it looks like many of Ms. Jackson's former colleagues are supporting her bid for the seat.
The Republican candidate, Tony Strickland, seems all but certain at this point. It would be a tough matchup for either Democrat, but it's a winnable seat. I look forward to working with Ms. Jackson to help take back this seat and bring us that much closer to 2/3.
Tom McClintock is termed out in '08 and the race to replace him is heating up.
Tony Strickland is a leading GOP candidate, with McClintock staffer Mike Stoker also in the running. Since the eastern portion of the district is seen as key to victory, other names mentioned include Simi Valley councilman Glen Becerra. This promises to be a very ugly, expensive primary for the GOP.
Democrats are waking up to the possibility of taking this seat away from the GOP and adding to their current majority in the State Senate.
GOP registration advantage has been slipping and is now just over 4%, including many liberal republicans in Santa Barbara. The problem area of the district is seen as the GOP strongholds of Simi Valley, Moorpark & Thousand Oaks. We need a Democrat who can run strong in those areas.
Many Dems have been mentioned. Ventura Supervisor Steve Bennett, former Santa Barbara Assemblywoman Hannah-Beth Jackson and current Assemblyman Pedro Nava have said they're not running or are leaning that way. They're all from the Santa Barbara or the western part of the district.
My favorite possible candidate is Jim Dantona. We need to draft this guy to run!
He ran for a Supervisor's seat last year in the Simi Valley/Moorpark area, which only has 30% registered Democrats. He is credited with unseating the longtime Republican incumbent in the June Primary, but unfortunately lost the final in a bitter general election race to a well funded ultra-right candidate in November, by only 895 votes. In the end, Jim Dantona took 48.5% of the vote in a heavily gerrymandered GOP district. It's clear that he received strong support from voters across the isle.
Who is Jim Dantona? Currently a legislative advocate and small business owner, Dantona was Senate Pro-Tem David Roberti's Chief of Staff for 10 years in Sacramento. A former major league baseball player and single father of 3, he taught & coached elementary school for 5 years, and has been involved in philanthropic projects in his community for over 20 years, including establishing the organization B.A.D. - Baseballers Against Drugs.
Strong on environmental issues, he's been outspoken against Waste Management's plan to triple the size of their landfill footprint in Simi Valley, and has consistently advocated for stronger action against Boeing to protect families & the community from the Rocketdyne facility groundwater/site contamination. This area's residents have been plagued by cancer clusters & a myriad of health problems for years. Dantona has been one of the few community leaders to consistently demand answers and action.
We need a strong candidate in this district who has proven he can appeal to voters across party lines, while maintaining Dem core values.
