[courtesy of The California Majority Report]

The influential Cook Political Report has moved Congressman Jerry McNerney's race in the 11th Congressional from the "Lean Democratic" to "Toss-up" category.

Nobody ever thought McNerney would have a cakewalk in his re-election bid. But he's gotten high marks for his freshman year on Capitol Hill. On the political front, he has a sizable cash advantage over his opponent, Republican Dean Andall. Plus he's going to be running in the Bay Area in a strong Democratic year. So I'm not quite sure why the Cook Report has downgraded his chances to even at this juncture, since everything seems to be going his way.

Nonetheless, there's something you can do here: contribute to his campaign before the next filing deadline. He's got a near-term goal of raising $10,000. Visit his website to contribute.

by Susan Rowe [courtesy of Blog for America]

VOLUNTEER!

Take Back Red California

Day of Action for Jerry McNerney!

Saturday, April 19, 2008

Please join Congressman Jerry McNerney for the 2008 campaign’s first district-wide Day of Action. We’ll be walking precincts and letting voters know about the work Jerry has been doing in Washington on behalf of the 11th District and the work he’ll continue to do when he’s reelected in November.

Volunteers meet at 10:00 a.m. on Saturday, April 19th

IBEW Local 595
6250 Village Parkway, second floor
Dublin, California 94568

[courtesy of The California Majority Report]

Karen Hanretty, former mouthpiece for the California Republican Party, Gov. Schwarzenegger, and then a Fox News commentator, will join the National Republican Congressional Committee as its chief spokesperson, Politico.com is reporting.
 
This means we'll be hearing Karen's voice and seeing her quotes regularly in the bruising battle for Congressional seats held by Congressman Jerry McNerney and the open seat held by Congressman John Doolittle, as well as others up and down the state. The NRCC is the chief political arm of Congressional Republicans.
 
Karen and I traded barbs regularly over the years, particularly on Sacramento's News10 when we faced off for regular commentary on the Schwarzenegger Administration. She's sharp and full of one-liners. This should be fun to watch.

[courtesy of The California Majority Report]

Speaking at the Sacramento Press Club yesterday, Assembly Speaker Fabian Nunez said Democrats should add three seats to their 48-32 majority in the California Assembly in November's elections.
 
Nunez made the prediction after new figures from the Secretary of State show a surge in Democratic registrations in all but two Assembly districts, including three held by incumbent Republicans who will be forced to leave office. They include the desert/Riverside area seat held by Assemblywoman Bonnie Garcia, the San Diego seat of Assemblywoman Shirley Horton, and the Contra Costa/Sacramento Delta seat held by Assemblyman Guy Houston.
 
Dems now hold a 45.7 - 36.5 percent edge in the Garcia's 80th district. And in Horton's 78th district, Dems now have a significant 41.6 - 33.1 percent lead.
 
In Houston's case, Democrats have now pulled within 272 votes of a plurality. That erases a 2.2 percent edge Republicans had in the 2006 elections. Democrats had fielded weak candidates in the past (such as Donna Gerber) in this district. But with a strong re-election effort by Congressman Jerry McNerney (much of the district overlaps his) and a heavy Democrat turnout in the presidential race, the 15th District will be a battleground.
 

[courtesy of The California Majority Report]

In case you missed, the Los Angeles Times on Sunday covered freshman Congressman Jerry McNerney's efforts to win re-election in a tough, Republican leaning Central Valley district. McNerney wasCalifornia's dragon slayer last year, defeating seven term incumbentRichard Pombo, an anti-environment, right wing ideologue moreinterested in gutting clean water laws than getting to know hisconstituents. McNerney has emerged as a thoughtful, earnest andattentive representative who has frantically gotten to know as manyconstituents as possible—and he's going to need it too: McNerney is atop GOP target in 2008 and has already drawn a strong challenge informer Assemblymember Dean Andal.

McNerney has done a particularly fine job of tuning out the backgroundnoise and listening to his district, even it means distancing himselffrom some of the left-wing groups that helped get him elected. And, asthe LA Times points out, he's won a lot of accolades, even fromdied-in-the-wool Pombo fans. We're proud of you, Congressman McNerney.

Photo courtesy of Mother Jones.

[courtesy of California Progress Report]

By Randy Bayne
The Bayne of Blog's California Notes

Congress voted once again today to reauthorize the State Children Health Insurance Program (SCHIP). The vote on H.R. 3963 was 265 yeas to 142 nays.

The new version of SCHIP attempts to address concerns raised by President Bush and House Republicans. According to a press release from Congressman Jerry McNerney's office, there are several changes to this bill that did not appear in previous versions:

• SCHIP coverage will be permitted for children only from families who earn less than 300 percent of the poverty level.

• In order to ensure that lowest-income children are covered first, the states will only receive bonus payments for enrolling eligible children in Medicaid, in this case California’s MediCal program.

• The revised bill goes even further that previous versions in clarifying that the legislation does not allow illegal immigrants to get SCHIP:

• If the Social Security Administration cannot confirm an applicant’s citizenship, the applicant will be required to provide the state with additional documentation to confirm eligibility.