• Craig Huey,  Janice Hahn,  Sarah Palin

    CA-36: New Dem Ad Links Craig Huey and Sarah Palin

    We don’t need Craig Huey’s extremist right wing agenda.

    Janice Hahn will fight for our agenda — common sense solutions, create green jobs, and cut Washington’s spending while protecting Medicare

    Here come the extremist scare ads from the Democrats. And, look who is the boogey woman – Sarah Palin.

    Sarah Palin has become the California Democrats’ go-to for labeling a Republican as “extreme.”

    Los Angeles City Councilwoman Janice Hahn (D) linked the former Alaska governor to her Republican opponent in her first TV ad of the House special-election runoff.

    I remember during the Carly Fiorina and Senator Barbara Boxer campaign last Fall, the same tone and character of the ad. This time though they channel Sarah Palin, abortion AND Medicare.

    Guess they are targeting the professional woman vote, old and young.

    The Hahn ad — which goes up tomorrow on cable TV “throughout the district,” according to a campaign spokesman — also accuses Huey of harboring an “extremist right-wing agenda.” The runoff vote is set for July 12.

    Just a reminder, the California 36th congressional District has a very Democratic registration advantage.

  • Craig Huey,  Janice Hahn

    CA-36: Craig Huey Blows Off Janice Hahn’s Campaign Pledge Challenge

    Janice Hahn and Craig Huey will face off on July 12th in a runoff election for California’s 36th Congressional District

    Guess Craig Huey is too smart to take the bait.

    Councilwoman Janice Hahn won a strategic victory during her Congressional primary with a pledge of support for Israel. Secretary of State Debra Bowen signed it within two hours, perhaps sealing her defeat.

    Hahn’s campaign must have figured that if it worked once, why not try it again. On Memorial Day, Hahn sent a pledge to her general election opponent, conservative marketing guy Craig Huey, calling for upgrades in veterans’ health care and an end to the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq.

    Huey has handled it a little differently than Bowen did. His campaign didn’t respond until today. The answer: Buzz off with your stupid pledge.

    “It’s a stunt on her part,” said Jimmy Camp, Huey’s campaign manager. “We’re not as gullible as Debra Bowen was. Our issues are our issues and we’re not going to let her frame what we have to say.”Camp also said that Huey’s campaign hadn’t actually received the pledge, except via Twitter. “We don’t respond to tweets,” he said.

    Is Janice Hahn that desperate or does she REALLY think Craig Huey is as stupid as Debra Bowen?

  • Craig Huey,  Janice Hahn

    CA-36 Video: Will “FIXED” Parking Tickets Blow Up the Race Between Janice Hahn and Craig Huey

    Perhaps and the questions are being asked of Los Angeles City Council member Janice Hahn.

    The Craig Huey for Congress campaign is demanding that Los Angeles City Councilwoman Janice Hahn release complete records of her office’s use of the city’s “Gold Card Desk” program. The Los Angeles City Auditor revealed that the little known program had dismissed over 1,000 tickets in a two-year period. This was also reported by ABC News in Los Angeles.

    “Janice Hahn has been a Los Angeles City Council member for 10 years and for that entire time the Mayor and City Council have been secretly fixing traffic tickets through the so-called Gold Card desk,” said Huey’s consultant Dave Gilliard. “This program does not pass the smell test. The public deserves to know how many tickets Hahn’s office has helped to fix, and names of the people who have received Gold Cards from the City or Gold card desk referrals.”

    Specifically, Huey’s campaign is demanding that Hahn release the following information:

    1. How long that Janice Hahn has been aware of the Gold Card Desk and how long she has been using it.

    2. How many people have been referred to the Gold Card Desk by Hahn’s office in each year she has held office.

    3. The names of the people referred to the Gold Card Desk through Hahn’s office, and the resolution of each case.

    Little things like parking ticket favoritism/corruption can swing special elections. If Janice Han is implicated, entire blocks of voters can be persuaded to abandon their party and switch over to Craig Huey.

    Stay tuned….

  • Craig Huey,  Janice Hahn

    CA-36: Are Janice Hahn and Craig Huey Running for a Seat that May Disappear in California Redistricting?

    Janice Hahn and Craig Huey will face off on July 12th in a runoff election for California’s 36th Congressional District

    Perhaps or the CA-36 may be completely different in party registration demographics.

    When the independent redistricting commission redraws political lines this summer, experts say it’s likely that the 36th will lose its strongly Democratic northern region around the Los Angeles International Airport. In return, the district could regain the Republican-majority Palos Verdes Peninsula.

    To protect incumbent Democratic Rep. Jane Harman, who resigned in February to lead a Washington think tank, the Peninsula was sliced off the district 10 years ago and connected by thin slivers of Long Beach and San Pedro to Rep. Dana Rohrbacher’s Orange County-based 46th Congressional District.

    Besides a shifting border, there’s also a second scenario, where most of the current 36th District’s territory is collapsed, possibly into the 37th Congressional District of Rep. Laura Richardson, a Long Beach Democrat who represents Carson.

    Such a move could be a way to account for the population shift to Riverside and San Bernardino counties in the 2010 U.S. census, according to Fernando Guerra, director of the Thomas and Dorothy Leavey Center for the Study of Los Angeles at Loyola Marymount University.

    “In other words, L.A. County has to lose one seat,” Guerra said.

    The nonpartisan California Citizens Redistricting Commission is set to issue draft maps on June 10, before the July election, setting up an awkward possibility for Hahn and Huey.

    “You literally may be running for a seat that no longer exists,” Guerra said.

    Final maps are due Aug. 15, and the first election reflecting the reapportioned boundaries will be the June 2012 primary.

    If Harman’s old district does pick up the Palos Verdes Peninsula, surrendering the area around LAX, the change would be enough to make an incumbent’s path to election uncertain.

    In 1998, when the Peninsula was a part of the 36th District, voters sent Republican Steve Kuykendall to the office.

    The Democrat who lost?

    Hahn, who ran for the seat to replace Harman when the congresswoman made a failed bid for California governor.

    The California economy is very poor and especially poor in this area of Los Angeles County. Businesses have closed and moved out of the state. Real estate values have plummeted. And, most importantly, the election turnout will be low due to the July election date. This will favor an “outside” candidate and one who can turn out the GOP in the district.

    Craig Huey has a definite chance in July to surprise and certainly again in 2012, if he doesn’t.

  • Craig Huey,  Janice Hahn

    CA-36: Final Election Tally Released for Special Congressional Race – Janice Hahn Vs. Craig Huey in the July 12 Run Off

    The Los Angeles County Registrar-Recorder/County Clerk’s office released the final results today for the special Congressional Election to fill retiring Democrat Rep. Jane Harman’s 36th Congressional District seat.

    The results are here.

    Los Angeles City Councilwoman Janice Hahn, a Democrat, was the top vote-getter with 15,647 votes, 24.6 percent, and was followed by Republican canidate Craig Huey, who had 14,116, 22.2 percent. The top two vote-getters advance to a runoff election if no one receives more than 50 percent of the vote, so Hahn and Huey will face off in a July 12 special election.

    California Secretary of State Debra Bowen finished in third with 13,407 votes, 21.1 percent, and was 709 votes behind Huey.

    The election drew a wide field of candidates that included five Democrats, six Republicans, a Peace and Freedom, a Libertarian and three candidates who stated no party preference. The candidates were vying to replace longtime Rep. Jane Harman (D-Venice), who resigned in February to join a Washington, D.C.-based think tank. The 36th Congressional District includes Marina del Rey, Venice, Mar Vista, Redondo Beach, Manhattan Beach, Hermosa Beach and surrounding communities.

    Huey, a Torrance businessman and tea party candidate who lives outside the district in Rolling Hills Estates, surprised election watchers late Tuesday night when he overtook Bowen as the final precincts were counted and took a 206-vote lead. The registrar’s office counted more than 10,000 ballots Thursday and Huey increased his lead over Bowen, prompting her to concede defeat.

    It is expected to be a tough race for Republican/Libertaran Huey since the Congressional District is overwhelmingly Democratic in registration. But, turnout is also expected to be low and Huey is well known in conservative circles in the district.

    Registrar-Recorder/County Clerk Dean Logan said there were 64,183 total votes cast in the election and 35,183, 54.8 percent, were vote by mail ballots and 29,000, 45.2 percent, were cast at precinct polling stations. Voter turnout for the election was 18.6 percent, which is lower than the 2010 primary turnout of 27 percent.

    Craig, a high school friend of mine from El Segundo and the owner of a Torrance marketing/PR business is expected to give Hahn a tough campaign.

    Stay tuned….

  • Craig Huey,  Janice Hahn

    CA-36: The Long Knives and Satan Are Already Out for Craig Huey

    LA City Councilwoman Janice Hahn (D) and Businessman Craig Huey (R) who will face off on July 12, 2011 in CA-36, Jane Harman’s Congressional District

    The long knives are already out for Craig Huey on this ridiculous attempt to portray Craig as some sort of nutter.

    Even before the results of California’s special House jungle primary have been certified, Democrats are already bringing out the knives for surprise second-place finishing tea party candidate Craig Huey.

    Huey, who finished just ahead of Secretary of State Debra Bowen to advance to the July runoff, penned a letter nine years ago that inferred opponents of a church expansion were working at the behest of Satan.

    In the December 2002 letter to his neighboring Rolling Hill Estates residents obtained by POLITICO, Huey explains he supports the expansion of a local church “to expand the positive influence of the Gospel throughout the Hill.”

    But he also warned that a “small group of organized lawyers and residents” were exaggerating fears to “cast doubt” on the project.

    “I guess we shouldn’t be too surprised,” Huey wrote.  “Throughout history Satan has stirred up opposition to God’s purposes and plans.  It reminds me of Nehemiah in the Bible.  You’ll recall how he faces intense opposition to God’s work.”

    When the city council later voted against the church’s expansion, he called it “pure religious discrimination.”

    Well, I will await Craig’s official response but there really is nothing there. But, the Far Left in California like to demonize their opponents.

    The LEFT and unions know that Craig who is native to CA-36 will mount a solid campaign against the failed policies of California Democrats and Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa with whom Councilwoman Hahn is aligned.

  • Craig Huey,  Debra Bowen,  Janice Hahn

    CA-36: Debra Bowen Concedes to Craig Huey in Special Election Congressional Race

    Conservative businessman Craig Huey

    Democrat California Secretary of State Debra Bowen conceded this afternoon to my long time conservative friend Craig Huey.

    California Secretary of State Debra Bowen conceded Thursday in the special election race for a vacant Southern California congressional seat, handing a surprising second-place finish to little-known Republican Craig Huey.

    Huey, a wealthy advertising executive who spent $500,000 out of his own pocket, will face Democratic Los Angeles Councilwoman Janice Hahn in a July 12 runoff.

    Maybe Craig was little known in Sacramento or D.C. but he has been a strong conservative voice for decades in Los Angeles County, having grown up in El Segundo. He resides in Rolling Hills and his marketing/advertising business is in Torrance.

    An early adopter of conservative social media, Craig used it to power himself into a second place finish against a long-term POL in Debra Bowen.

    Bowen, also a Democrat, finished about 200 votes behind Huey in Tuesday’s primary but was waiting on around 10,000 absentee and provisional ballots that had yet to be counted. On Thursday afternoon, as election officials sorted through the remaining votes, Huey’s lead grew to 750 ballots.

    “Since Tuesday’s election, my staff, legal advisers and election experts participated in the ballot review process to ensure a full and fair vote count was conducted. It is clear now that I will not be in the runoff and I congratulate Janice Hahn and Craig Huey,” Bowen said in a statement. A recount would have put Bowen, the state’s top election official, in an awkward predicament.

    Here are the election results as of late this afternoon:

    So, on to the general election on July 12th!

    As I said before, this Congressional District will be redrawen in June of this year by the California Redistricting Commission because of the census. So, win or lose in July, Huey will be a force in South Bay politics for a long time to come.

    Interesting and something that Huey WILL exploit is that Debra Bowen did NOT endorse fellow Democrat LA Councilwoman Janice Hahn in the July run-off election.

    Bowen did not endorse Hahn in her Thursday evening concession, citing a “strict policy of not endorsing candidates to avoid even a perception of conflict.”

    “Voters in the Congressional District 36 have a very important decision to make on July 12, and I encourage citizens to have their voices heard by voting in the runoff,” she said.

    And the game is on.

    But Huey will face an uphill task in a Democratic-leaning district that heavily favored Barack Obama in the last presidential election.

    Democrats already appeared confident. Just minutes after Bowen’s concession, House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi said in a statement that House Democrats “look forward to welcoming Councilwoman Hahn to Congress.”

    “California’s 36th District is staunchly Democratic. President Obama, Governor Brown, Senators Boxer and Feinstein, and Congresswoman Harman each carried this district by significant margins,” Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee Chairman Steve Israel said in a statement. “We are confident that Janice Hahn will succeed Congresswoman Harman and in Janice California’s 36th District will have an outstanding advocate in Congress.”

    Craig will have have the support of the national conservative movement and the entire Republican Congressional Delegation. Moreover, he will be able to conjur up California and the National Tea Party organizations.

    Watch for a brutal and hard fought campaign.

  • Craig Huey,  Debra Bowen,  Janice Hahn

    CA-36 Update 2 : Craig Huey Upsets Democrat Debra Bowen and Faces Janice Hahn in Run Off in July – Results Friday

    *****Update*****

    More results tomorrow, Friday.

    Who will compete in the runoff to replace former Rep. Jane Harman (D-Venice) won’t be determined until at least Friday, when workers finish counting the estimated 9,811 remaining ballots, L.A. County elections officials said Wednesday.

    The top finishers late Tuesday night were Los Angeles City Councilwoman Janice Hahn and conservative businessman Craig Huey, with 13,137 and 11,648 votes, respectively. But Secretary of State Debra Bowen trailed Huey by just 206 votes.

    But, nevertheless, Democrat California Secretary of State has started raising money for a possible recount.

    The link for Los Angeles County elections is here.

    Republican Craig Huey on election night, May 18, 2011

    There continue to be around 9,800 uncounted ballots but here are the results so far:

    Here is the link to the Los Angeles County Clerk’s office, where you can watch the updated totals.

    Democrat Janice Hahn appears headed to a second round of balloting for the vacant 36th Congressional District seat, though her challenger for the July 12 runoff is yet to be determined.

    Hahn, a member of the Los Angeles City Council, was the top vote-getter in yesterday’s special election to replace Democratic Rep. Jane Harman, who retired in late February. With 100 percent of precincts reporting, Hahn led the field of 16 candidates with 24.66 percent of the vote.

    Hahn’s chief Democratic rival, Secretary of State Debra Bowen, trailed conservative website publisher Craig Huey for the No. 2 spot by roughly 200 votes. Huey, who lent his campaign $500,000, posted an edge of less than one percentage point over the Marina Del Rey Democrat, leading 21.87 percent to 21.48 percent.

    Stay tuned…..