(Candidates made quite the effort to talk with bloggers at the convention. Thanks for writing your experience up, Marinmaven. – promoted by Brian Leubitz)

Something is happening in the 44th Congressional District and it is excellerating. Whether it is the economy or changing demographics, Bill Hedrick wants harness that change into a win for republican, Ken Calvert’s congressional seat.  

I got to meet Bill Hedrick last Saturday at the 2009 California Democratic Party Convention in Sacramento. He looks like a teacher and it turns out that is his exact background. He is the President of the Rialto Teacher’s Association and was elected for 4 terms as president of the Corona-Norco Unified School District.

I am from Marin County where the democratic candidate always wins to the point that I suspect the Marin Republican Party picks their doomed candidates to run by lottery and perhaps as part of a hazing ritual. Being a Marinite means if you want to make a difference in the state or the country, you have to take a look at the difficult districts in the state and see what you can do.

District 44 is difficult. So difficult, when Bill Hedrick ran in 2008 his candidacy was off the radar of the DCCC and most everyone else. He lost, but not as much as other candidates in similar districts. District 44 is Riverside County and South Orange County. While he did well in Riverside, he had real problems with conservative Orange County. Hendrick points out that The Real Housewives of OC film in this district.

So the big question in the room was, how can he win this time?

First of all, this time around his calls to the PACS are being returned. The DCCC is helping with messaging. There is an ad running that points out that the incumbent republican voted against the stimulus package that would have benefited the 44th District more than any district in California.    

Of course, Bill Hedrick knows there is much more his campaign can do. Last election he had little over 900 volunteers and it was a very grassroots campaign. The contributions amounted to 900 contribution with the average contribution being $65. Often it was clear that the contributors were digging way deep into their pockets to make a meager contribution. He recognizes that he needs to expand is volunteer base and create a national contributor base. Hedrick needs more feet on the ground in Ladera Ranch.

Another area of growth is in voter registration. While Orange county portion of his district has a registration rate of 90%, Riverside County has only 50%.

Hedrick points out that the inland empire is issue oriented which is good for cross-over voters. He has been able to have the conservative voters in his district take another look at him because of his opposition to the TARP bill and his support of the stimulus bill. The people in his district are facing a 60% loss in equity in their homes and there are blocks where you can find 10 empty homes or more from foreclosure.

Hedrick believes that the Obama plan for renegotiating mortgages is not enough for Californians even in his district.

He is also concerned about the war in Iraq and Afghanistan. His family is a military family that has seen a total of 10 deployments. Hedrick feels strongly that last year was the time for troops to start pulling out and give the responsibilities to the Iraqis. The concern is that there will always be discoveries that will lead to new excuses that will keep us from getting out.

Personally, I got a really nice vibe from him.  

Wouldn’t it be great if we could win this seat?

http://www.hedrickforcongress….