The GOP's Dan Lungren - The eternal Democrat Target
By Gary;
As far as I am concerned, Dan Lungren is about as useful as tits on a bull. About the only thing this guy has going for him is he is not a Socialist Democrat.
First elected to a SoCal Congressional seat in 1978, Lungren is the poster boy for what is wrong with politics - the eternal office holder with little connection to local voters who wins office by taking in millions in outsider special interest money.
A weak candidate, Lungren is targeted yet again by the Leftist Democrats.
Rep. Dan Lungren took in more than $500,000 for his re-election campaign in the first three months of the year, outraising rival Ami Bera for the first time since the Elk Grove Democrat emerged on the fundraising scene in mid-2009.
Lungren, of Gold River, ended March with just under $900,000 on hand, according to a report filed with the Federal Election Commission. Bera, whose filing has not yet appeared on the FEC website, said in a release issued last week that he raised $366,000. He ended the quarter with a cash advantage over his rival, saying he has roughly $1.15 million in the bank reports the Sacramento Bee.
Bera, who lost to Lungren in 2010 by seven percentage points, had outraised Lungren in every quarterly filing period since the July 2009 reports. Lungren consultant Rob Stutzman said while both candidates took in significant sums, the latest numbers reverse "what has been what has been a mostly two-year streak."
"He's finding a lot of support and he's working very hard to gather the resources to take on Bera," Stutzman said of Lungren.
Lungren is looking to tap into the patriotic sentiments of the Olympics as he seeks another term in Congress, airing a new campaign ad during coverage of the London games.
"It goes back to growing up. We were taught the American dream. We were taught that this country is exceptional," Lungren says over the soaring swells of violins amid images of children reciting the Pledge of Allegiance.
The Gold River Republican goes on to cite quotations attributed to Presidents Ronald Reagan and Abraham Lincoln, closing by telling viewers: "Those revolutionary ideas live now just as much as they did then."
The ad comes as Lungren is gearing up for a November rematch with Elk Grove Democrat Ami Bera in the newly drawn 7th Congressional District. A close registration split in the Sacramento County seat has made the race a top target again this year. Many analysts believe this year's contest will be closer than in 2010, when Lungren won by seven percentage points.
Election History
To me Dan Lundren is about as exciting as watching paint dry. His election history shows the public does not disagree.
Lungren managed to win the 1990 election for Attorney General, but not by much.
| California Attorney General election, 1990 | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Votes | Percentage | |||
| Republican | Dan Lungren | 3,407,927 | 46.8% | |||
| Democratic | Arlo Smith | 3,379,021 | 46.4% | |||
| Libertarian | Paul N. Gautreau | 256,378 | 3.5% | |||
| Peace and Freedom | Robert J. Evans | 242,871 | 3.3% | |||
| Totals | 7,286,197 | 100.0% | ||||
| Voter turnout | % | |||||
| Republican gain from Democratic | ||||||
His race for Governor was a total disaster for the GOP.
It is fair to say that Lungren was one of the worst candidates in GOP history.
| California gubernatorial election, 1998 | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Votes | Percentage | |||
| Democratic | Gray Davis | 4,860,702 | 58.0% | |||
| Republican | Dan Lungren | 3,218,030 | 38.4% | |||
| Green | Dan Hamburg | 104,179 | 1.2% | |||
| Libertarian | Steve Kubby | 73,845 | 0.9% | |||
| Peace and Freedom | Gloria La Riva | 59,218 | 0.7% | |||
| American Independent | Nathan Johnson | 37,964 | 0.4% | |||
| Natural Law | Harold H. Bloomfield | 31,237 | 0.4% | |||
| Totals | 8,385,175 | 100.0% | ||||
| Voter turnout | % | |||||
| Democratic gain from Republican | ||||||
Formerly a Southern California Congressman, Lungren carpetbagged himself into a Sacramento area Congressional seat.
The local voters have not been thrilled at this SoCal outsider using politically connect special interest money to hold a seat that should belong to a local.
| United States House of Representatives elections, 2008 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Votes | Percentage | |
| Republican | Dan Lungren (incumbent) | 155,424 | 49.5% | |
| Democratic | Bill Durston | 137,971 | 44.0% | |
| Peace and Freedom | Dina J. Padilla | 13,378 | 4.2% | |
| Libertarian | Douglas Arthur Tuma | 7,273 | 2.3% | |
| Totals | 314,046 | 100.0% | ||
| Voter turnout | % | |||
| Republican hold | ||||
| California's 3rd congressional district election, 2010 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Votes | Percentage | |
| Republican | Dan Lungren (incumbent) | 131,169 | 50.1% | |
| Democratic | Ami Bera | 113,128 | 43.2% | |
| American Independent | Jerry L. Leidecker | 6,577 | 2.5% | |
| Libertarian | Douglas Arthur Tuma | 6,275 | 2.4% | |
| Peace and Freedom | Mike Roskey | 4,789 | 1.8% | |
| Totals | 261,938 | 100.0% | ||
| Republican hold | ||||
 |
| . The 7th Congressional District east of Sacramento. |
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