CongressCritter for Hunter’s 50th District Can Wait, Sez Gov.
Ah, the memories… I remember when Republicans thought it was just fine to leave a Supreme Court seat unfilled for a year.
California Governor Gavin Newsom is saying there will be no special election to fill Rep. Duncan Hunter’s seat after his resignation takes effect on January 13.
While I don’t think this move by the Governor was necessarily about giving the GOP a middle finger, it sure feels good to see them getting a taste of their own medicine.
The decision to not call a special election was, of course political.
It became political when Duncan Hunter decided to stick around for another paycheck after pleading guilty to a single count of conspiracy to convert campaign funds to personal use. He couldn’t vote. He was stripped of committee assignments. He was and has been useless when it comes to representing the residents of the 50th Congressional District.
Had Hunter resigned prior to the primary race filing deadline--in early December-- it would have been possible to consolidate a special election with the March 3 primary. Now, Newsom’s option by law of leaving the seat vacant until after the November general election is the best option.
From the Union-Tribune:
The San Diego County Registrar of Voters Office has been finalizing proofs of the final March ballot this week, and federal law dictates that overseas military ballots go out next week.
Because of the resignation’s timing, there also would have been challenges for the Secretary of State and the registrar’s office to conduct a special election separate from the primary.
Under state law there is a relatively short window in which a special election could have been conducted. In this case the final special election would have to have been held in late May or early June, but a primary of sorts also would have had to have occurred before that as well — likely on one of the Tuesdays in March after the primary.
Some of the same folks now bellyaching about not having somebody in congress were warning Hunter of the consequences.
From Politico:
Fellow Republicans vying for Hunter’s seat have accused him of dragging his feet. They’ve warned that an open seat would deprive voters of representation in Congress and could weaken their standing going into November by ensuring they aren’t fielding a Republican incumbent.
The 50th Congressional District is one of California’s few remaining Republican-held House seats, and Hunter’s fall has galvanized a crowded field of potential successors: former Rep. Darrell Issa, former San Diego City Councilman Carl DeMaio and state Sen. Brian Jones are all taking a shot on the Republican side, as is Democrat Ammar Campa-Najjar.
Constituent service for residents of the 50th will remain available, as the Clerk of the House will take over staffing district offices. And it’s not as though a vote from the district will be consequential as far as any legislation moving through the House is concerned.
See also: California’s 50th Congressional District: A 2020 Primary Preview
In other news, GOP candidate Darrell Issa has released his first ad in his campaign to replace Hunter.
“The spot dismisses impeachment as "a clown show,'' and touts Issa's past role as the GOP chair of the House Oversight Committee, where he was "Congress' top watchdog." Issa in the spot: "I'll run the circus out of town — because I've done it before."”
Right, Darrell, just like when you said the Benghazi investigation was going to bring the Obama administration down.
Now that I think about it, the prospect of seeing either Issa or DeMaio in Congress this year --thanks to typically higher Republican turnout in special elections-- makes my stomach churn.
Isn’t the White House clown show enough for now?
Hey folks! Be sure to like/follow Words & Deeds on Facebook. If you’d like to have each post emailed to you, check out the simple subscription form on the right side of the front page.
Email me at WritetoDougPorter@Gmail.com