Lungren Foe Avoids Primary Battle
By Tim Sahd
Rep. Dan Lungren (R-CA) -- one of a shrinking number of targeted GOP incumbents this cycle -- now knows his general election challenger: physician Ami Bera (D).
That's because Bera's opponent, Sacramento Municipal Utility Dir. Bill Slaton (D), dropped out of the race today and endorsed Bera. "The more I have spoken to people about what I can contribute to public policy and the more I have listened to their concerns," Slaton wrote, "the clearer it has become that my best opportunity for service lies right here at home."
Bera is one of the few challengers this cycle who managed to put strong back-to-back fundraising quarters together, and has become one of the party's top candidates. He's raised $585K so far, putting him in the top-5 fundraisers for Dem challengers. Slaton, who had over $400K cash-on-hand (thanks to an injection of nearly $300K of his own cash into the race), is the second Dem to depart the race; Elk Grove Councilor Gary Davis (D) dropped out of the contest earlier this year.
For several reasons, Dems have had better luck at avoiding contested primaries in key challenger races. A quick look at the landscape shows seven races where Dem challengers will be fighting through crowded primary contests, while 14 Dems are running unopposed.
Meanwhile, the opposite is true for the GOP: over 20 GOP challengers currently have clear sailing to the general, while over 40 are expected to have at least moderate primary competition.
Two numbers jump out here between the parties: the cornucopia of GOP challengers compared to Dems, and the ratio of contested versus clear primaries.
The environment for the last several months has been a rich one for GOPers, and the NRCC's claims that candidates are begging to hop aboard the GOP bandwagon appear to be true.
That's a boon for GOPers because it allows them to expand the playing field and target incumbents like Rep. Ike Skelton (D-MO), Vic Snyder (D-AR), Bart Gordon (D-TN) and others they have rarely challenged before.
But the environment is a bit of a negative in that it certainly hasn't dissuaded potential candidates from jumping into contests that already have strong challengers.
Costly primaries will drain challengers of much needed cash, especially considering the fact they'll be facing well-stocked incumbents. But if you're the GOP, which is enjoying the best recruiting bonanza it's experienced in several cycles, you've got to take the good with the bad.