In a case of perhaps too little too late, the Democratic Party has finally gotten around to spending money to defeat Richard Pombo, the Bay Area’s only Republican congressman. Pombo represents Dublin, Pleasanton, San Ramon, and parts of the Central Valley and Santa Clara County. The race between Pombo and Democrat Jerry McNerney has been tight for about two months now, but the national party has been painfully slow to realize it. Maybe it’s because McNerney, a Pleasanton alternative energy consultant, was not their favored candidate in the primary. Regardless, the Dems finally announced yesterday that they have bought TV ads to defeat Pombo that will run in the final days of the campaign.
If Pombo were to go down to defeat, it would be a major setback for the GOP, because registered Republicans outnumber Democrats in the 11th Congressional district by 46 percent to 39 percent. Pombo also has out-raised McNerney. However, Pombo, like other prominent Republicans, has been hurt by President Bush’s low polling numbers and by his own ethical lapses as reported last year in the Express.
Back to 92510, the East Bay Express news blog.
