It probably never should have been this close, but today, Janice Hahn is the Congresswoman-elect for CA-36:
Democrat Janice Hahn defeated Republican Craig Huey in a bitterly contested Southern California special election marked by stinging attacks from both sides.
Hahn finished with a healthy 54.56 percent of the vote to Huey’s 45.44 percent in Tuesday’s vote. The good news came early for Hahn’s camp soon after polls closed when the initial absentee returns showed the Los Angeles councilwoman with an 8-point advantage. Huey’s campaign needed a stronger showing in the early vote to offset the 18-point Democratic registration advantage in the beach town district.(Politico)
Despite pouring the better part of a million dollars into his campaign, Huey just wasn’t able to overcome the landscape of the district. Until the redistricting commission says otherwise, this district will vote for Democrats, even in a special election without the draw of higher offices on the ballot.
California never really caught the Tea Party Fever, and doesn’t seem to be now either.
Janice Hahn ran a textbook campaign from start to finish to earn the right to succeed Jane Harman.
The frontrunner in this marathon style campaign for the better part of seven months, Hahn stayed disciplined and captured critical endorsements while outraising both Bowen and Winograd combined in the first phase of the process.
Her attention to detail and strategic use of polling earned her a firsr-place finish in both the primary and the runoff and she’ll go to the HOR last in seniority.
Needless to say, the election proved the district while Democratic, is not a liberal or progressive stronghold.
It’s a combination of working class, blue collar residents as well as highly educated coastal residents that drown out pockets of social conservatism and Tea party activism that does exist.
There’s something to be said about learning more from losing than winning.
Janice Hahn got her head handed to her in the Lt. Governor’s race and she came off the canvass to run a brilliant effort in the face of some stiff competition from the likes of the well-funded craig Huey, SOS Debra Bowen and progressive/peace activist Marcy Winograd.
I’m hopeful SOS Bowen will learn from the tactical and message mistakes she made that cost her a place in that runoff.
In campaigns, you shoot at those ahead of you, not behind.