As you may have read in various posts here on Calitics (for example, here and here), Jerry McNerney was not the choice of DCCC and its leader (?) Rahm Emmanuel.  But, in recent days, McNerney has picked up the support of Russ Feingold’s Progressive Patriots PAC and he’s in the DFA’s run off for its grassroots all-star online vote.  But according to Roll Call (Subscription required)

InRoll Call(6/15, Drucker): “Jerry McNerney s (D) victory in California s 11th district primary last week means the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee will mostly stay out of the race going forward, though Rep. Richard Pombo [CA-11] still faces the well-funded opposition of the environmental community. McNerney hasn t written off help from the DCCC in the general election even though he handily dispatched Steve Filson, the committee s endorsed candidate, in the June 6 primary. McNerney, a wind turbine manufacturer, is trying to schedule a meeting with DCCC Chairman Rahm Emanuel (Ill.) for next week when he s in Washington, D.C. But a Democratic strategist close to the DCCC doesn t expect those meetings to lead to the committee getting heavily involved in the campaign. That s not surprising considering the DCCC, believing that the liberal McNerney is unelectable in the GOP district by virtue of his shellacking by Pombo in 2004, took the unusual step of endorsing in a primary even naming Filson to its ‘Red to Blue’ fundraising program. … DCCC leaders originally tried to recruit moderate Democratic state Sen. Michael Machado into the race but were rebuffed, leading them to Filson, an airline pilot and military veteran.” (Roll Call 6/15/06) (Subscription required)

Nope, the DCCC wouldn’t want to support a solid progressive candidate that would dare to actually stand up for what he believes in, and is comfortable talking abou the situation in Iraq.  That’s because Jerry McNerney hasn’t shown the kind of electability that Steve Filson did.  Oh right, Filson has never won any elections.  But that being said, Defenders of Wildlife did a poll showing Pombo trailing both candidates; McNerney’s lead was 46%-42%.  And while that is within the survey’s MoE of 4.9%, isn’t this race a worthwhile investment?

I think this is a winnable election. Given that a large chunk of money that the DCCC raises is from Northern California, perhaps it would be a good idea to invest some of that back in the region.