Four guys in the Democratic Party running against me? Good luck on that.
Something's going on in California's 42nd Congressional District and I'm really not sure what it is. Perhaps anyone would care to share information with me on it (besides the cities and counties located in the district)?
The Cook Report rates CA-42 (represented by Rep. Ken Calvert) as R+10 and as of last Wednesday, there are now four Democratic Congressional Candidates running as opposed to say CA-49, rated R+4, which has Dave Peiser running against Rep. Darrell Issa and he's the only Democratic candidate in the race. There's also no target by the DCCC towards CA-42 at all that I'm aware of.
Then again, this is California and the state is becoming more blue every year and building the base in the state is becoming harder and harder for the CA State Republican Party.
Just last Wednesday, the fourth Democratic candidate to announce a run in the CA-42 race is retired police sergeant Michael Williamson.
Something to note: Michael Williamson was the 2012 Democratic challenger to Congressman Ken Calvert and received 39% of the votes. Not bad for a candidate who got just about no attention in national news or even DCCC support in a red district.
http://elections.huffingtonpost.com/...
This time, Williamson is announcing his second run for Congress three months earlier than his 2012 run, where he announced it on January 2013.
http://www.prweb.com/...
Retired Police Sergeant Michael Williamson announced his candidacy for the California 42nd Congressional District in 2014. His priorities are the economy, jobs, small business, public safety and immigration reform.
Mr. Williamson stated he has some conservative views and some liberal views. As such, his approach will be different than many Democratic candidates. Fiscally, he is a strong believer in small business and low taxes, which will spur the economic recovery that California so desperately needs. At same time, Mr. Williamson is a Democrat, which means that he tends to be socially liberal.
Mr. Williamson stated he is seeking election to this position because the time has come to remove political insiders that have to long held safe districts with virtually guaranteed re-election. Mr. Williamson said that the failed policies of the status quo have brought the nation and California to the brink of an abyss that must be immediately addressed.
There's not much information I can find about Williamson as far as pictures, videos, etc. but a January 2012 article in the Murrieta Patch mentions that he was a Republican for many years and ran in 2010 against then Rep. Gary Miller, who after redistricting is now considered a vulnerable Republican Congressman thanks to the growing demographics in the new CA-31 Congressional District that he represents, which like CA-42 also has four Democratic Congressional Candidates in the race (including supposed front-runner Pete Aguilar).
However, given the GOP nationwide has a rigid ideology and in California have a rigid ideology, Williamson in 2012 changed his registration to Democrat as it appears to be more accommodating to his moderate views:
http://murrieta.patch.com/...
Although he is a Democrat, Williamson said he was a registered Republican for "years and years." He switched parties when he began thinking about running for political office. In 2010, he made a bid for Congress in what is currently the 42nd District, which includes swaths of Orange, Los Angeles and San Bernardino counties. He lost the race to Republican incumbent Gary Miller.
Williamson describes himself as a conservative with moderate views on social issues. He said he's pro life, "actually, I'm pro law," he said, citing his support for the legal system, which includes the Roe v. Wade decision. He also supports same-sex marriage and gays in the military.
"I don't care one way or the other," he said.
Those views, however, don't play well with Republicans.
"You can't win [as a Republican] with those views," he said.
Williamson admits he's not a textbook Democrat though. He touts conservative ideals, such as a tough stance on illegal immigration.
"I'd like to see immigration laws enforced," he said, but explained he wants to see reform that paves the way for legal immigration.
"I don't tow either party line," he said, which he thinks could be an advantage. "I could be a bridge" in what is currently a highly partisan political environment.
However, given I no little about the three other Democratic candidates running in CA-42 besides Michael Williamson, I can't make an endorsement of any of them yet as I still need to research the other candidates.
Therefore, I'm listing all four candidates below for you guys to determine (particularly any of you who live in CA-42) who you may want to support, if you decide you want to get involved.
Kerry Condley
Kerry Condley for Congress:
http://www.kerricondleyforcongress.com/
Donate:
https://kerricondleyforcongress.nationbuilder.com/....
Boyd Roberts
Boyd Roberts for Congress:
http://www.robertsforcongress2014.com/
Donate:
http://www.robertsforcongress2014.com/....
Tim Sheridan
Tim Sheridan for Congress:
http://www.sheridanforcongress.com/
Donate:
http://www.sheridanforcongress.com/
Michael Williamson for Congress:
http://www.electmichaelwilliamson.com/
Donate:
https://maxvps028.maximumasp.com/....