Posted on 11/02/2009 7:54:44 AM PST by SmithL
Lt. Gov. John Garamendi has been everything from assemblyman to insurance commissioner to former President Bill Clinton's deputy interior secretary during his 35 years in public service.
If the prevailing political wisdom is correct, the 64-year-old Democratic veteran could add U.S. congressman to his résumé by Tuesday night.
Garamendi is considered the clear front-runner in the race to fill the 10th Congressional District seat left vacant in June by Ellen Tauscher, who became the State Department's undersecretary for arms control and international security affairs.
Democrats make up 47 percent of the district's registered voters compared with the 29 percent of voters who are Republicans. The district is centered in Alameda and Contra Costa counties but touches parts of Sacramento and Solano counties.
Garamendi, who lives just outside the district, is also one of the state's most well-known politicians. His Republican challenger, businessman David Harmer, is remembered mainly for his father, who was a state senator and lieutenant governor.
A Garamendi win Tuesday could have national significance as an exception to the tough elections other Democrats are facing in New Jersey, New York and Virginia.
"The fact is there are a lot more Democrats interested in this race than Republicans, and people don't know Mr. Harmer," Garamendi said. "He's an unknown quantity, and he's done little to change that."
(Excerpt) Read more at sacbee.com ...
Amazing, CA will elect another dim-bulb-crat.
How’s that bankruptcy stuff going, CA?
Not if I have anything to say about it!
Carpet-baggers need not apply.
Isn’t it wonderful when a professional politician can spend 35 + years sucking at the government teat and THEN retire with a half dozen retirement checks coming his way. Ahhhh, life is good.
DEFLECTION- I predicted this TWO WEEKS AGO...
A Dem winning a race they are expected to win, in a 75% Dem district, will be cheered as a “HUGE” vitory by Dems and the Media to distract from the HUGE LOSSES everywhere else.
QUALIFIER: If the Repub would somehow win this one, it would be a shot heard ‘round the world.
And ALL we will hear tomorrow night, as the Conservative/GOP candidates win, will be about this race, in Pelosi’s backyard, that the Rats managed to keep.
The other races could be Conservative/GOP blowouts, the MSM will hang their collective hats on this one. Just watch.
I’ll watch results here on FR, screw the TV.
Good luck convincing all those "smart" people in Contra Costa. I grew up among those pompous idiots.
The 10th is not a liberal district; the dems are counting on the CC Times and union money to to their dirty work.
Lafayette is different; it is full of lawyers, nurses and screwel teechers.
Orinda too. Both used to be really nice towns, too "cute" to stay that way.
Yep! - LafMOr was the first to fall, but WAD (Walnut Creek, Alamo, and Danville) are following suit. Paradise is always lost.
The Left loves more Statists prominsing more taxes and benefits to unions, penisoners, bureaucrats and illegal aliens...all spiced with environmental insanity, constant threat of litigation and regulation/taxes/fees that would make Hugo Chavez blush.
Yes, Garamendi, you are the Liberal savior...I just hope you lose tomorrow.
It is amazing how I chose Pleasanton over Lafayette to move my family from Oakland Hills.
We went to a diner in Lafayette where the children of well-to-do parents were covered in tattoos and piercings with their Che t-shirts serving us food...with bad attitudes...
The bounty of capitalism made towns like Orinda, Lafayette and Moraga so gorgeous, relatively crime-free and have high graduation rates (note, not “good” schools as they are measured in Marxist memorization).
The self-loathing, greenie, loser Lib is th Lafayette resident, a maggot who earns $400,000 as a corporate attorney, shops at Nordstrom, uses recycled bags for groceries and votes for Obama.
It boggles the mind.
That’s why we’re in Pleasanton, and possibly Danville, next.
The inanity of urbanity,
A cabal of banal.
They are the Elites and believe their wonderful paternalism is so caring and helpful to the poor underpaid and unappreciated minorities. They abhor fundamentalists and practicing Catholics. Most are agnostics, pro gay marriage, in love with the IDEA of socialism (but not actually for them), etc. Have a few in the family.
I literally don’t speak to those people, college friends, neighbors...unless absolutely necessary.
The RNC and other Pubs did not get on board for Harmer quick and soon enough. John G is a Dem Party hack but should win in this Dem district. Still, still...one may be surprised but I doubt it. The Dems in Ca. are just tax hikers and spenders and the lemmings keep electing them. It will not change for decades unless the Hispanics, other minorities, gays, Hollywood, and yutes of America decide that enough is enough.
You are correct,the RNC and other Pubs SHOULD have gotten on board earlier, but they are here now and they are being a big help. I volunteer at the campaign almost every day. The excitement level is rising. There were probably 200 people there on both Saturday and Sunday walking precints, manning the phones, putting precinct packets together, getting ready for poll watching.
We passed by Garamendi’s HQ twice on Sunday. One time there were 2 people, and the next there were about 7. Another volunteer passed by on Saturday and said there was one person there, and they were washing the windows. Literally.
We are taking our own polls. Everyone we are talking to is going to vote for Harmer, and we are not only talking to Republicans. Declined to States, IND and even plenty of Dems are voting for Harmer. In fact on more than one occasion, I have done phone banking with Dems for Harmer.
It is true they have an 18% voter reg advantage of Republicans in our District, but they are fighting amongst themselves and Garamendi has very high “negatives” amongst Dems. All this works in Harmer’s favor.
All you have to do is meet or listen to David Harmer to realize he is a winner.
Find out how you can help at http://www.harmerforcongress.com
The 10th is not a liberal district; the dems are counting on the CC Times and union money to to their dirty work.
Say a prayer that the rats are complacent and have a low turnout.
This is a heavily ‘Rat district. The fact that Harmer has even an outside chance says much.
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