Pombo To Run For Radanovich's Seat
By Reid Wilson
Ex-Rep. Richard Pombo (R-CA) will make a comeback attempt in an open House seat that neighbors the district he once held, 4 years after losing his own re-election bid.
The former 7-term congressman, who once headed the House Resources Committee, will run for the seat being vacated by Rep. George Radanovich (R), who announced last week that he will not serve another term. Radanovich's 19th district is next to the 11th district, which Pombo lost to Rep. Jerry McNerney (D) in '06.
Pombo will make the announcement tomorrow, sources tell Hotline OnCall, after speaking with several incumbent members of Congress and supporters back home. He has reached out to donors in recent days, as well as to Reps. Kevin McCarthy (R) and Devin Nunes (R), two incumbents who hold neighboring districts.
Pombo will not have the contest to himself. State Sen. Jeff Denham (R) already has Radanovich's backing, and his district overlaps part of Radanovich's, giving Denham what could be an early lead in name recognition.
Whomever wins the primary will likely be a heavy favorite for the general election; Sen. John McCain (R-AZ) won the seat by 6 points in '08 while significantly underperforming the historically GOP Central Valley. The NRCC will not get involved in a primary between the 2, according to a party source.