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Is it already time to start talking about the 2010 election? While there's been quite a bit of gubernatorial talk already, congressional districts have been on the down low. California's 36th District is the exception, however, with one Progressive Democrat nearly two months into her campaign and hosting her first fundraiser tomorrow.
Marcy Winograd challenged and lost to Democratic incumbent Jane Harman the last time the primary election came around. But it gave Winograd, who entered the race only three months before voting day and garnered 38% of the vote, some inertia to run again.
Although there have been some questions if Harman is going to run again or take a Presidentially appointed post, a campaign spokesman told LAist today that she will be running. If she were not to, L.A. City Councilmember Janice Hahn expressed interest in the seat.
Congresswoman Jane Harman
With that said, this campaign could be much more fierce than any Harman as run before. Earlier this year, she was found in the media hot seat for alleged involvement in closed door intelligence deals that the Justice Department got on tape during an investigation. However last week she was told she was not under investigation. Still, Harman's campaign is blunt about Winograd's politics. "It's important to point out that based on what Marcy is saying so far, she's not just running against Jane Harman, she's running against President Obama," campaign Spokesperson Roy Behr told LAist, referring to Winograd's take on issues close to Obama such as Afghanistan and Healthcare. "I think that's going to have limited appeal to voters in this district," he said.
The 36th District covers the Southbay with 20 miles of coastline between Venice and San Pedro (but not the Palos Verde Peninsula, see a map below) and tomorrow some of those voters are gathering for Winograd's first major campaign fundraiser in Venice.
Stefanie Fletcher, a nurse who is helpign to organizing tomorrow's event, likes Winograd's progressiveness, especially on healthcare issues. "I think one of the biggest things for me from the healthcare standpoint is that she's willing to address keeping the single payer healthcare option for cities and states." And that's one of Winograd's main campaign issues, challenging Harman on it in a commercial released last week.
This race has only begun, but it seems it will be a hot one.
Map of California's 36th Congressional District
