A special election in Los Angeles today will determine who will fill the 36th California Congressional district. Republican Craig Huey is facing off against Democrat Janice Hahn. I am backing Mr. Huey.
(Full disclosure: I backed Kit Bobko in the primary.)
Before getting to the race itself, Ms. Hahn’s mother died yesterday, one day before the election. Condolences to her are heartfelt. Whether she wins or loses, her loss is devastating and we should all be sensitive to that. Mr. Huey appropriately offered his condolences.
As for the race, it has been set up due to a series of circumstances that do not make any sense.
Democrat Jane Harman held the relatively safe seat. Except for the 1994 GOP tidal wave where Ms. Harman held on by only a few hundred votes, she has dispatched GOP challengers with ease (although fewer margins then other Los Angeles seats that are even safer).
In 2010 Ms. Harman faced off against Mattie Fein.
(Full disclosure: I endorsed Ms. Fein.)
Ms. Fein fared better than other GOP challengers in other LA races, but Ms. Harman still won by a reasonable margin. Then Ms. Harman gave up the seat to work for George Soros.
This was a stunning development on so many levels.
First of all, Ms. Harman was a fairly moderate Democrat who feuded with Nancy Pelosi. Ms. Harman was pro-defense, and resisted cuts to defense. Her moderate stances resulted in a 2010 primary challenge from far left wacko Marci Winograd. Winograd is a Soros disciple. Harman beat back Winograd before besting Fein.
Financial considerations could not be a factor because Ms. Harman was the wealthiest member of Congress, with a net worth of 800 million dollars.
So her sudden retirement to work for Soros makes no sense, and remains unexplained.
The next surprise was that Ms. Fein decided not to run again despite being a strong, telegenic challenger. She cited family considerations, but with Harman gone, Ms. Fein could have competed financially.
So both Ms. Harman and Ms. Fein stepped away, creating a free for all.
Given the open primary rules, several races in recent years have featured only Democrats in the runoff with no Republican at all. Janice Hahn’s brother Jim Hahn used to be Mayor, besting Antonio Villagairosa. Villagairosa won a rematch four years later. Jim Hahn was the least visible Mayor LA has ever had, partly given that he is so Caucasian that he blends into the wallpaper. Most Angelenos would not recognize him on the street.
So complete and utter confusion has led us to Janice Hahn and Craig Huey. Whoever wins this race will have to run again in a year, and the redrawing of the district lines could make things even more chaotic.
Anyway, support Craig Huey. A Republican winning in Los Angeles would be a shock to the system.
eric