Kossacks will remember Marcy Winograd's primary challenge to Blue Dog Jane Harman last year, which sadly fell short. Well, it looks like we won't have Harman to primary challenge anymore.
NBC News has learned that Rep. Jane Harman, D-Calif., is expected to announce tomorrow that she will quit Congress to become the president and CEO of the Woodrow Wilson Center in Washington.
http://firstread.msnbc.msn.com/...
Harman, the second richest member of the House, is notable for voting for the Iraq war, defending the USA PATRIOT Act and other bills that restrict Americans' civil liberties, and other conservative votes (e.g. the estate tax repeal).
While it's hard to say exactly why Harman is stepping down now (I'm inclined to agree with the "doesn't want to serve in the minority" hypothesis), the Woodrow Wilson Center claims to
commemorate the ideals and concerns of Woodrow Wilson by: providing a link between the world of ideas and the world of policy; and fostering research, study, discussion, and collaboration among a full spectrum of individuals concerned with policy and scholarship in national and world affairs.
(I know, that blockquote didn't really say anything.)
Let's get ready for the special election to replace her -- I would argue that this is a really good opportunity to elect a progressive.
CA-36, the district in question, is D+12 (64% for Obama in 2008), and should be safe for Democrats. It includes Torrance, El Segundo, Manhattan Beach, Redondo Beach, and Venice. While the district is more conservative (especially on defense issues) than the PVI would necessarily indicate, we can definitely do better than Harman and the district has been trending more Democratic recently. (And there's no telling what will happen to it in redistricting due to the new commission.)
(Updated to clarify the district and add background information.)