Congresswoman Hilda Solis (D-CA) is now officially Labor Secretary Hilda Solis, and that now opens up CA-32.
http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/…
Representative Hilda Solis, the daughter of two union members, was confirmed by a Senate vote today as the nation’s 25th labor secretary.
The nomination was approved with bipartisan support after Republicans ended efforts to delay a vote over questions about her ties to union groups and tax liens on her husband’s business. The vote was 80-17.
List of confirmed/possible candidates
Board of Equalization Chair Judy Chu (http://www.judychu.net)
State Senator Gil Cedillo (http://www.gilcedillo.com)
Emanuel Pleitez (http://www.pleitezforuscongress.com)
State Senator Ron Calderon
State Assemblyman Charles Calderon
Water District Director/Ex-State Assemblyman Ed Chavez
State Assemblyman Ed Hernandez
Baldwin Park U.S.D. President Blanca Rubio
Here’s some political and demographic info on CA-32:
2008 Presidential Vote:
Obama (D) 68.2%
McCain (R) 29.8%
Others 2.0%
2008 House Election Results:
Solis (D) (unopposed)
Voter Registration:
Democratic: 126,111 (52.0%)
Republican: 55,373 (22.8%)
Decline-to-State: 51,474 (21.2%)
Other: 9,621 (4.0%)
Ethnicity (2000):
62.3% Hispanic
18.4% Asian
14.8% White
2.6% Black
0.3% Native American
0.1% other
Between her labor endorsements and the district’s sizable 20.5% Asian-American population( which is the second largest concentration in Southland if I’m not mistaken) she may well slip through.
Will Hispanics convalesce around a single candidate? They may actually need to if they want to hold this seat given the unique situation with Chu. Pleitez has an interesting profile for sure, but might still be a little green.
in the Senate?
Judy Chu is running for sure, so there’s no way that Assm. Mike Eng will run. That would be Mr Judy Chu, but I supposed if they ran against each other they might not be married much longer. The Calderons are brothers, so if they both ran it might make for an uncomfortable situation at family parties.
I know Chu better than Cedillo so I lean in her favor, but really, anyone but the Calderons (business Dems, not progressives) would be OK. I am really glad that Solis finally got confirmed!
Why has there not even been committee hearings yet for Ron Kirk as US Trade Rep?
Not that I’m excited about Kirk, I’m just wondering, why is this seat still vacant?