GOP Candidate Leads in Pivotal House Race
SAN DIEGO — Former Republican Rep. Brian Bilbray battled a Democrat on Tuesday to replace imprisoned ex-Congressman Randy "Duke" Cunningham in a contest that drew national attention for what it may portend about the GOP's hold on Congress.
Across the state, California's congressional incumbents, some of them singed by scandals emanating from the nation's capital, sought to fend off challengers who railed against everything from their perceived support for the war in Iraq to their ties with corrupt lobbyists.
Incumbents were holding their own.
The most closely watched congressional race in California -- perhaps the nation -- took place in north San Diego County, where lobbyist and former Congressman Bilbray sought to succeed Cunningham.
Bilbray had inched ahead of his Democratic foe, Francine Busby, 55, a school board member in suburban Cardiff-by-the-Sea. Busby had hammered repeatedly on the theme of ending a "culture of corruption" that erupted under President Bush and the Republican-controlled Congress.
The fight for the 50th Congressional District was seen as an early test of whether Democrats could capitalize on Bush's plummeting approval ratings to regain a majority in at least one house of Congress.
"What is going on in California, in the 50th District, might be replicated in the rest of the country," said Stuart Rothenberg of the nonpartisan Rothenberg Political Report in Washington, D.C.
Cunningham, a Republican from Rancho Santa Fe, pleaded guilty to bribery and tax evasion and is serving an eight-year prison sentence. The investigation into Cunningham's activities continues, focusing in part on Poway-based defense contractor Brent Wilkes.
Between what the two candidates raised, and what the national parties have spent, the price tag for the race tops $10 million -- much of it spent on negative television ads.
In recent days, Bilbray received $7,000 from San Diego Chargers owner Alex Spanos and his family, and $5,000 from the New Majority Political Action Committee. Spanos and New Majority are major patrons of Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger. Bilbray also benefited from fundraising efforts by Vice President Dick Cheney.
Bilbray said Tuesday night that he had surged in recent days, and lauded First Lady Laura Bush for her campaign help; she made automated phone calls on his behalf.
