Election 2008: What’s At Stake?

Technically no.  According to federal law, you must live in the state you are running for the U.S. House from.  And that is exactly what is happening in California’s 4th Congressional District.  Tom McClintock just entered the race for Congress.  He is a state Senator from Ventura County, but has lived in Sacramento County for over a decade now representing his constituents in the State Capitol.  He does keep a place holder apartment down south, because in order to run for the state Legislature you must live in your district.  But now he wants to represent a district over 300 miles away and a district east and north of Sacramento.

He’s not the only one.  Another Sacramento County resident Doug Ose, who represented suburban Sacramento in Congress (3rd Congressional District) is moving east to run in the district too.  He has been endorsed by the man who succeeded him, Rep. Dan Lungren (who by the way, defeated Doug’s sister in the Republican primary when Doug retired).  I guess they made up.

 Adding another twist to the story, former state Senator Rico Oller has dropped out of the race and endorsed the conservative icon Tom McClintock.  Funny thing is Oller also didn’t live in the district, but represented the area in a larger state senate district.  Oller lives just south of the district in Lungren’s district and ran for that seat against Lungren and Ose’s sister when Doug Ose gave up his seat.  Looks like Oller just missed a chance to run against two Ose’s and in two of the same congressional distircts that Doug Ose has run in.

It’s another case of political manueveruing, political musical chairs, a political family fued and just enough ups and downs to make for a good soap opera.