Perhaps the most conservative section of California's 11th CD is the community of Lodi. It is located on the edge of the California Delta and has made national headlines only a very few times, mostly for reasons that the community would rather forget. I can not remember the Lodi News-Sentinal endorsing a Democrat. In 2006, they were strongly for Richie "ANWR" Pombo.
It was to my great surprise that they have endorsed Jerry McWind. excerpt on the jump.
McNerney earns our support with a solid first term in Congress — and plenty of visits to Lodi
Updated: Saturday, October 18, 2008 6:25 AM PDT
It looks like the News-Sentinel got the message and all of those flights home paid dividends.
We didn't endorse Jerry McNerney when he challenged then-incumbent Richard Pombo for Congress.
We had our doubts. He had never held elected office before, after all. He was soft-spoken, professorial. We wondered if he had the stomach or the personality for politics.
He surprised a lot of people by winning that election. He's surprised us by performing diligently as a congressman, reaching out to Lodi and its citizens far more aggressively than we expected — certainly far more than his Republican predecessor did.
It's a pleasant surprise to have an elected official exceed expectations, and McNerney has done that.
His overall performance, his unique area of expertise, and his attention to Lodi constituents earns our endorsement in a tough race with a formidable Republican challenger.
As an energy expert with a doctoral degree from the University of New Mexico, McNerney's value should only rise in Congress in coming months, as the nation struggles to find more and better options to foreign oil. He is big believer in solar and wind, and has the savvy to help move us, as a nation, toward energy self-reliance.
Now, what about the DCCC sending that money Down to SoCal for Debbie Cook. And, for the rest of you, Debbie needs a donation to counteract Crazy Dana's lying mailers.