2/17/08 ... Many candidates for Congress seats
North County Times | Click here for original article
Many candidates for Congress seats
By: EDWARD SIFUENTES – Staff Writer
New and familiar names in North County races
With the state’s Super Tuesday primary in the past, the next election on the local horizon will decide who will represent North County in Congress next year. The races for the 49th, 50th and 52nd congressional districts have drawn many candidates, including some with familiar names.
The June 3 primary will see incumbents Brian Bilbray, R-Solana Beach, and Darrell Issa, R-Vista, up for re-election in their respective districts, the 50th and 49th.
The name Duncan Hunter appears among those running for the 52nd Congressional District —- but the candidate is Duncan D. Hunter, hoping to capture the seat being vacated by his father, 14-term Rep. Duncan Hunter, R-El Cajon.
Despite his recognizable name, the younger Hunter will have to defeat a handful of potentially strong contenders to win the Republican nomination —— among them are businessman Ken King, Santee City Councilman Brian Jones and San Diego County Board of Education President Bob Watkins.
They have each raised more than $100,000 for their campaigns as of Dec. 31, according to Federal Election Commission records available through the Web site opensecrets.org.
Hunter, a Marine officer who recently returned from a tour of duty in Afghanistan, said he expects a tough fight for the party’s nomination.
“I think they’re all great guys,” Hunter said in a phone interview Wednesday. “This is an open race and we’re not taking anything for granted.”
On the hunt in 52nd
Also running for the seat are three Democrats —— [including] former Navy SEAL Mike Lumpkin…
Whatever the name, Gary Jacobson, a political science professor at UC San Diego, said Hunter is likely to be the one to beat in the heavily Republican district, which includes most of East County and parts Ramona and Poway.
Registered Republicans outnumber Democrats in the 52nd District 143,671 to 95,854, according to the county’s Registrar of Voters.
Besides name recognition, Hunter also has a fundraising advantage, having raised $224,315 as of Dec. 31.
“It’s hard to see how you would beat Hunter in that district with the military record and his father’s support,” Jacobson said.
Lumpkin said those figures are misleading because Republicans make up less than half the registered voters in the district —— 45 percent. A number of the district’s registered voters, about 19 percent, are nonpartisan or “decline to state.”
Lumpkin said his 21-year military career and strong national security platform make him an ideal candidate for the district.
“The numbers aren’t as daunting as some would lead you to believe,” Lumpkin said Thursday in a phone interview from Washington, where he was raising money for his campaign.
Lumpkin was the top fundraiser in the Democratic field, with $78,159 as of Dec. 31…
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