Posted on 01/15/2014 1:26:04 PM PST by cotton1706
California Rep. Buck McKeon, the powerful chairman of the House Armed Services Committee, will not seek reelection in 2014, according to several sources familiar with his plans.
He is expected to formally announce his decision this week.
McKeon, 65, is departing from the southern California seat he was elected to in 1992. Since then, he has won reelection by comfortable margins. He became chairman of the House Armed Services Committee in 2011, after Republicans regained control of the House.
His retirement comes as little surprise - Republicans on Capitol Hill and California have been buzzing about the possibility for months. It will set the stage for a potentially competitive general election: McKeon is vacating a seat that Mitt Romney only won by two percentage points in 2012.
Two Republicans, former state Sen. Tony Strickland and state Sen. Steve Knight, had already made clear they plan to run for the seat in the event McKeon retired.
Yikes, I used to live in his district for many years, and it was only my insurance agent and I, who it seemed, were the only dems in all of the Santa Clarita Valley.(I have since seen the light.)I vaguely remember the Republicans had a district office in town, but the left did not. Seven years ago when I left it was 97% white, middle class, lots of Disney employees, film crews, and 1/3 of LA county’s fire and police. What happened?
Olde Buck is VERY military supportive and a firm supporter of the Second Amendment. None better. California can ill afford to loose him. You are very wrong to say what you did!
The last census was used to redistrict California. He like others was placed in a divided district.
Did Santa Clarita get mixed with the San Fernando Valley? That would prove a death knell for for sure. Thank-you for your response.
“Olde Buck is VERY military supportive and a firm supporter of the Second Amendment. None better. California can ill afford to loose him. You are very wrong to say what you did!”
Well let’s take a look at his most recent conservative ratings, shall we?
Heritage: 42%
FreedomWorks: 43%
Club for Growth: 60%
American Conservative Union: 83%
Taking an average of these (which is how you’d get his real rating so everything’s taken into account), McKeon has a pitiful conservative average of 57%.
If you leave out the moderate-protecting ACU and his average is 48%.
Wake up and smell the coffee! This is why he is chairman of a committee, because he is not a conservative. But he votes well on gun issues to jack up his “lifetime ACU” rating and apparently fools the people every time.
The republican caucus will be better off without him. And hopefully, his committee chairmanship will go to somebody more conservative, but only if Boehner’s gone along with him.
Believe when I say that there will be a very real chance that the District will go Democratic. Just what California needs! I’ll take Olde Buck over anything coming down the road. Supports the Military and the 2d Amendment!
I’ll take two creamers of French Vanilla with that coffee if you please!
There’s a risk but this looks like a bad year for RATS.
I suggest that you go to Google and put in “CA-25”. Use the Wikipedia site info to answer your question. I believe that the answer to your question is “Yes”.
“Believe when I say that there will be a very real chance that the District will go Democratic. Just what California needs! I’ll take Olde Buck over anything coming down the road. Supports the Military and the 2d Amendment!
I’ll take two creamers of French Vanilla with that coffee if you please!”
And it is this very type of thinking that keeps these people in power. And they count on it. The “lesser of two evils.” Yet, if a McKeon type is primaried and defeated, they’d rather the democrat win than the conservative. See Dede Scozzafava. See Lincoln Chafee. See Richard Lugar.
I spoke to my husband about this, without looking at the fact, he predicted what you declared. A very sad occurrence. Very different demographics and concerns.
Lord, help us with redistricting. In Arizona we had the upper hand, but we still let the Dems re-district us to servetheir pleasure. Will we ever learn?
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