I've heard a lot about Francine Busby's run in California's 50th district but that's not where I live. I attend UC Riverside and that puts me in the 44th, home to Ken Calvert, Republican incumbent.
There's an election coming up and I don't want to vote for Ken.
In fact, I would like to toss Ken out on his ass. I've written to his office a few times and called once -- outraged about something, I'm sure -- but what galls me the most is the way my own university lavishes praise on the man while the students protest immigration reform which he claims responsibility for.
After a lot of searching, I found someone running against Ken: Louis Vandeberg, a write-in candidate in 2000 who made an unsuccessful run in 2004. He's the General Manager of UCR's student radio station, KUCR.
My initial look was not favorable. Vandenberg's website is out of date and ugly. His photo in the USA Today article on his 2004 run looks like the mugshot of a Dick Tracy villain. But I wrote to him asking if his campaign was serious, and he suggested I meet with him. That, at least, is encouraging.
This is a call-out to anyone else in the 44th. What is the status of our efforts?Are there any other candidates? Is Vandenberg our man? Do we have a shot?