tombinghamthegreat
03-04-2008, 12:44 PM
http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-mcclintock5mar05,1,1513251.story
McClintock to run for Congress
Rich Pedroncelli / Associated Press
State Sen. Tom McClintock announces his plans to run for the Northern California congressional seat of retiring Rep. John Doolittle.
The Thousand Oaks state senator announces his bid to replace retiring Rep. John Doolittle, ruffling north-south feathers.
By Patrick McGreevy, Los Angeles Times Staff Writer
11:41 AM PST, March 4, 2008
AUBURN, Calif. -- On the steps of the historic courthouse here, Republican state Sen. Tom McClintock announced his candidacy today for a Northern California congressional seat hundreds of miles from the beachfront district he currently represents.
Four unsuccessful campaigns for statewide office, including a 2003 run for governor, have made McClintock a hero to many California conservatives. Early polls suggest him as the instant front-runner in the contest to replace retiring Rep. John T. Doolittle (R-Roseville), who is stepping down amid a federal corruption investigation.
In a state where north-south political enmity is legendary, McClintock is already catching flak from Northern Californians as the worst kind of carpetbagger: a Southerner.
"I don't believe the voters of this district want an L.A. politician who doesn't understand the issues and people of Northern California," said former Rep. Doug Ose of Sacramento, another candidate. "It's just different than representing Southern California beachfront."
McClintock is also being criticized by residents of his Senate district who say his run for Congress up north is a final acknowledgment that, although McClintock maintains his voter registration in Thousand Oaks, his home for years has actually been a short commute from the state Capitol.
"It wasn't a secret that he really didn't live in the district," said Hannah-Beth Jackson, a Democrat and a former Assemblywoman from a district that overlaps McClintock's Senate district. "He was busy trying to be something to all people in the state. He very rarely appeared in the district."
The Senate district includes the coastal cities of Santa Barbara, Carpinteria, Camarillo, Ventura and inland communities including Santa Clarita, Thousand Oaks, Simi Valley and Ojai.
By contrast, the congressional district includes arid and mountainous areas of northeast California, stretching from eastern Sacramento County to Lake Tahoe on the south and the Oregon border in the north.
McClintock to run for Congress
Rich Pedroncelli / Associated Press
State Sen. Tom McClintock announces his plans to run for the Northern California congressional seat of retiring Rep. John Doolittle.
The Thousand Oaks state senator announces his bid to replace retiring Rep. John Doolittle, ruffling north-south feathers.
By Patrick McGreevy, Los Angeles Times Staff Writer
11:41 AM PST, March 4, 2008
AUBURN, Calif. -- On the steps of the historic courthouse here, Republican state Sen. Tom McClintock announced his candidacy today for a Northern California congressional seat hundreds of miles from the beachfront district he currently represents.
Four unsuccessful campaigns for statewide office, including a 2003 run for governor, have made McClintock a hero to many California conservatives. Early polls suggest him as the instant front-runner in the contest to replace retiring Rep. John T. Doolittle (R-Roseville), who is stepping down amid a federal corruption investigation.
In a state where north-south political enmity is legendary, McClintock is already catching flak from Northern Californians as the worst kind of carpetbagger: a Southerner.
"I don't believe the voters of this district want an L.A. politician who doesn't understand the issues and people of Northern California," said former Rep. Doug Ose of Sacramento, another candidate. "It's just different than representing Southern California beachfront."
McClintock is also being criticized by residents of his Senate district who say his run for Congress up north is a final acknowledgment that, although McClintock maintains his voter registration in Thousand Oaks, his home for years has actually been a short commute from the state Capitol.
"It wasn't a secret that he really didn't live in the district," said Hannah-Beth Jackson, a Democrat and a former Assemblywoman from a district that overlaps McClintock's Senate district. "He was busy trying to be something to all people in the state. He very rarely appeared in the district."
The Senate district includes the coastal cities of Santa Barbara, Carpinteria, Camarillo, Ventura and inland communities including Santa Clarita, Thousand Oaks, Simi Valley and Ojai.
By contrast, the congressional district includes arid and mountainous areas of northeast California, stretching from eastern Sacramento County to Lake Tahoe on the south and the Oregon border in the north.