This race caught me eye in a dkos diary earlier this week. Checking the CA-46 tags, there were four pretty much un-noticed diaries this past week talking about CA-46:
The Best Hypocrisy Red Money Can Buy
CA-46 Rohrabacher Allies “Bleed” Mayor Debbie Cook
CA-46 Rohrabacher Allies Smacked Down, Ordered to Pay Costs
CA-46 Rohrabacher Sues Mayor Debbie Cook Again, Loses Again
Wingnut Dana Rohrabacher (R) has easily held this district since winning in 1988 (he won by 23% last time).
This year his opponent will be Huntington Beach Mayor Debbie Cook, (debbiecookforcongress.com) an impressive grassroots progressive. Apparently the California Republican Party is so worried that Rohrabacher may be vulnerable and is facing a strong challenger this time, their Treasurer plus a former Chair of the California GOP filed some frivolous lawsuits against Debbie Cook, essentually just to cause her to have to waste time and money to defend against them.
Happily, on Wednesday an Orange County judge threw out the suit, and Thursday a Sacramento judge ruled against the GOP as well. And Cook’s lawyers will get their fees from the Republicans.
(Details and many other links are in the about diaries for those interested; Ballot suit draws criticism and Sacramento court sides with H.B. mayor are good news stories.)
It would be sooooo sweet to get rid of Rohrabacher this election. If we’re lucky, the anti-war wave might even reach into solid red Orange County…
Monday’s story SSP’s Competitive House Race Ratings (3/24/08) put it as Likely R. The PVI is R+6.
My guess is that it will take Cook a couple of tries to crack this nut. Hopefully she can assemble and maintain a good campaign team, and come close this Nov. Then in 2 years unseat Rohrabacher.
Or just possibly after another 2 years in an even smaller Republican minority, Rohrabacher just might decide he’d rather be lobbying for big $$ and call it quits and go surfing.