Democrat Charlie Brown, in announcing his second bid for Rep. John Doolittle’s (R-Calif.) seat this weekend, broadened his list of targets to include the three Republicans who are also looking to unseat Doolittle.
{mosads}In the wake of Doolittle’s announcement last week that he will run for reelection, and given what is shaping up to be a crowded primary, Brown is getting more looks this time than when he challenged the congressman last year.
In an interview with The Hill on Monday, Brown said he wasn’t specifically targeting Doolittle when he said that his first duty is to the country, “Not self. Not even family. Certainly not partisanship or politics. Certainly not insignificant things like reelection, or the self-interest of contributors, or the profits of defense contractors.
“That is a shot at a lot of established politicians,” Brown said.
Brown and an official at the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee said that Republicans Ted Gaines, Mike Holmes and Eric Egland will have trouble challenging Doolittle because they “represent more of the same.”
“Whether it’s John Doolittle, whether it’s anybody else, I’m running on the same message,” Brown said. “They’re dividing themselves.”
Brown said he has not stopped running since narrowly losing to Doolittle by three points last year. In that time, he said, Doolittle has come under more fire for allegations involving disgraced former lobbyist Jack Abramoff, including an FBI raid of his home in April.
Additionally, Brown said, he increased his name recognition by running last year and caught the attention of Washington Democrats (and their wallets).
Add to that what appears to be a divided GOP in the district and a potentially bruising primary, and Brown said he likes his chances better this time around.
But Julie Shutley, a spokeswoman for the National Republican Campaign Committee (NRCC), said the district still leans heavily Republican, and the committee believes the eventual winner of the GOP primary will win the general election next fall.
DCCC officials, however, appear to be paying much more attention this year than last. A DCCC official said Monday that the district represents a “strong race” for Democrats, and they will be looking to help Brown as much as they can.
The official said that Brown’s holding Doolittle to below 50 percent last year was “an amazing feat,” and Brown has “continued that momentum throughout.”
While the official declined to discuss specific dollar amounts the committee might be willing to share, he did say they like their chances because “not only is Doolittle ethically challenged” but he is also running against three Republicans.
Only two GOP candidates have announced their intentions to challenge the sitting congressman.
Auburn City Councilman Mike Holmes, like Brown, is challenging Doolittle for the second time in as many years, having lost to Doolittle in the last GOP primary 66 percent to 33.
Holmes is getting started on fundraising earlier this cycle and realizes he needs to raise much more than last time. He said his year-end financial report will be important in proving that he is a credible candidate.
“Quite frankly, I wasn’t as aggressive about it as I should have been last time,” Holmes said in an interview with The Hill last month. “Now that we have a base of support, we’ll start mining that.”
State assemblyman Ted Gaines is said still to be considering a run after supporting Doolittle last year, and Air Force reservist Eric Egland was the first one to announce a challenge.
In an interview with The Sacramento Bee last week, Doolittle said he “will not step aside,” and he is running for reelection. In the same interview, the congressman called the Republicans challenging him “weasels.”
“I am not going to have any of these weasels who for self-promotional efforts are cooking up these half-baked polls and trying to influence me,” Doolittle told the Bee. “What I find amazing is that they want me to give up so they can get what they want.”
Republican pollster Chris Wilson recently conducted a survey that shows Brown handily defeating Doolittle in a rematch.
Doolittle’s congressional office Monday only would say the congressman was focused on Gen. David Petraeus’s Iraq progress report.
Despite the polling and an easier fundraising road, Brown is hardly shopping for a place to live in Washington.
“The fundraising is going easier, but it’s always a struggle,” Brown said. “People are awake now, but it’s still not going to be easy.”