With Ellen Tauscher set to join the State Department soon, it seems that her soon-to-be-vacant seat is drawing interest from a major player in California politics — Lt. Gov. John Garamendi, who is currently making a bid for the Democratic gubernatorial nod in 2010. From the Contra Costa Times:
[…] Lt. Gov. John Garamendi is looking at it – he lives on the edge of District 10 in Walnut Grove.
Garamendi called Rep. George Miller, D-Martinez, a few days ago, although the congressman offered little encouragement. Miller reiterated his unflagging support for state Sen. Mark DeSaulnier of Concord.
Wait, isn’t Garamendi running for governor? Yeah, although reports of a faltering campaign circulated recently after one of his top campaign staffers quit.
In a statement late Friday, here is what Garamendi said: “A number of people suggested I consider this seat. Of course, I will check it out. As a former undersecretary of the interior, there is a lot of exciting work going on in Washington. Much is possible with Barack Obama.
“But I am focused on California and my campaign for governor.”
Sounds more like he’s focused on finding a ripcord.
there are just too many Dem heavy-hitters running for governor already. Despite being Lt. Gov., Garamendi isn’t one of them.
Newsom is a flake who will let us down one way or another. Jerry Brown is way past his expiration date and has drifted quite a ways to the right since 92. Villaraigosa seems alright, though his judgment with women is as poor as Newsom’s. Most importantly, I don’t think any of the three have the profile to enable them to take on the 2/3rds rule head on, which is the single most important ability in a governor, short of the need to get 50.1% of the vote. I can’t see any of them successfully championing such a ballot measure.
Garamendi, maybe. He came from the more business-friendly side of the party, and he’s actually spoken about the need to revisit 2/3rds. That’s more than anyone else has done, from what little I know (all of which I read at Calitics).
So, reading that his campaign has failed and he’s bailing out to CA-10 doesn’t please me one bit. In fact, his origin on the business side of the party is a downside in my eyes when it comes to CA-10, vs an upside in the 2/3rds fight.
California is the home of mediocre retreads moving from running for one office after another in a basically random pattern. Garamendi is the worst. He’s been running for Gov for 20 years, and now he switches to Congress?
He wouldn’t be terrible, but California needs new people running for office who seek to be leaders, not people who run for office just because they have been term limited.
On the positive side, a bit more room might persuade some new face to join the race with the giant dwarves now running.
He was the most politically savvy candidate and would have beaten the Repubs. I cannot trust the remaining candidates. They may be as good as Bustamante in the general election and then do a Deval Patrick if elected.
run in the special election for CA-10 without resigning as Lt Gov?
And if he loses that race (although he has as good a shot as anyone right now in the Dem field), still run for the CA-Gov primary (again, he has as good a shot as anyone in that weak field)?
She voted for reconciliation on cap ‘n trade in the budget debate. Why do that when her support for such legislation has been tepid at best, in the past? The tea leaves seem to say Guv.
The problem is that she’d probably appoint another conservadem to her seat like Harman. Any reason to think otherwise?
How the heck did she ever get elected Mayor of San Francisco? Was she always such a moderate or did she only become on after being elected statewide?