Doolittle to Retire? What It Means for Democrats

[courtesy of The California Majority Report]

The Republican blogosphere is rife with rumors that Congressman John Doolittle is going to throw in the towel and not run for re-election. Instead, he'll throw his support to former State Senator Rico Oller, who has been lying in wait for higher office since his loss to Congressman Dan Lungren in the neighboring Congressional district.

Oller hails from the extreme right wing of the Republican party (as in being to the right of Dan Lungren). In the Legislature, he was known as a publicity hound and had a disastrous record on environmental and social issues but a favorite among hard-line conservatives

(In other words, he's John Doolittle with a smile.)

If the rumor mill is true, Oller may have to duke it out with Assemblyman Ted Gaines, who also is cut from the same cloth (as well as two other primary challengers who may very well fold their tents if Doolittle quits). The two have rival political organizations, however. Gaines is more established in the district and has better name ID because he holds office and has been laying the groundwork for a primary challenge against Doolittle, which obviously didn't endear him to Doolittle's political allies.

What does all this mean for Democrat Charlie Brown? Obviously, it would be better if Doolittle ran for re-election. However, an all-hell's-broken-loose Republican primary is the next best thing. And that's likely to happen if Doolittle tries to anoint Oller.