I say good luck with that, when traditionally races for Congress have been very partisan and very expensive affairs.

A race for a highly contested Congressional District is NOT a local City Council or County Supervisor which are NON-Partisan and mainly low key races.

It is interesting that Parks who is a registered Republican, but is unclear whether she will run as one as designated on the June 2012 primary ballot, did not mention her opponents – all six of them (Democrats and Republicans a like).

By the way, when Parks beat former California Assemblywoman Audra Strickland (wife of California State Senator Tony Strickland, who has already announced for CA-26) in her 2010 re-election race for Supervisor, I received quite a few mail pieces in my mailbox and somebody paid for those. Parks knows how to campaign and will raise and spend campaign cash like the rest of the POLS.

Has anyone seen Ventura County Supervisor Steve Bennett lately? It has been rumored that he will withdraw from the race and support Parks at the behest of Ventura County Public employee unions.

Update:

Steve Bennett is now reporting $240K in political contributions and a California Democratic Party Pre-Endorsement Conference win.

With Republican Tony Strickland reporting over $300K in contributions on his first day, this is not a good sign for Linda Parks. Also, it shows that the rumor Bennett would get out of the race, maybe just a rumor.

Sen. Tony Strickland, who represents western portions of the Santa Clarita Valley in the California Senate, has scheduled a press conference to announce his candidacy for Congress.

Strickland’s campaign announcement is calendared for Tuesday morning, Jan. 17, at the Aviation Museum in Camarillo.

I don’t why there is a hurry to announce, but it could be that politics in Ventura County is becoming like musical chairs. The filing deadline is March 9.

First, there is the rumor that Democrat Rep. Brad Sherman will move to run in the new CA-26. This will avoid a nasty June primary election against Democrat Rep. Howard Berman.

Then, there is former Democratic Assembly Speaker Bob Hertzberg who has said (more or less) that he is running in Tony Strickland’s California State Senate District where another Democrat State Senator Fran Pavley (Agoura Hills) will be the incumbent.

So, Strickland will announce, but I hear that local Republicans are worried that Strickland might not be able to beat Ventura County Supervisor Linda Parks who is going to run as an independent (where in the past she has been a registered Republican). Some have suggested that Parks may re-register as a Democrat.

Other sources have told me that the Ventura County Public Employee Unions are pressuring Ventura County Supervisor Steve Bennett to drop out of his previously announced decision to run in CA-26.

The unions and local Democrats are worried that Republican Ventura County Fire Chief Bob Roper would easily win Bennett’s seat, should Bennett vacate it to run for Congress. I guess the LEFT wants to protect Bennett’s seat and he has the campaign cash to do so. So, will Bennett withdraw?

In talking to a number of Republican and Democratic activists, it is clear that nobody is happy with the previously speculated big three candidacies of Strickland, Parks and Bennett.

I would not be surprised to see Rep. Brad Sherman to take a look at this race and I have heard Republicans are talking to Michael Reagan, the son of the former President.

So, it is all complicated. Plus, add in four other candidates (including two Hispanic Democrats from Oxnard) and the top two election system.

This race is going to be a whirlwind…..

Stay tuned….