Sunday, Jun. 08, 2008

It's already time to start campaigning for November's election

As near as I can tell, there's no downtime in politics. There's always another race, another campaign season. That explains why Wednesday, as the absentee ballots were still being counted from Tuesday's primary, my inbox was filling with e-mails from candidates and campaigns for the November election.

The early-bird award goes to Luis Molina, who sent an announcement of a fund-raiser set for today. Molina announced in February that he's running for mayor of Patterson.

Sitting Mayor Becky Campo has been more low key. As part of her welcoming remarks at the Apricot Fiesta last weekend, Campo mentioned she will be seeking a second two-year term. This sets up a lively race in a community with lots of issues to debate -- think West Park, growth and foreclosures, to start. I hope similar contests shape up in Riverbank, Oakdale, Turlock, Waterford, Newman and Hughson -- the other cities where there will be council elections in November.

Next in the inbox was an e-mail from a group called Vets for Freedom supporting Dean Andal, the conservative Stockton Republican who is challenging first-term Rep. Jerry McNerney in the 11th Congressional District. Vets For Freedom is a decidedly pro-Bush, pro-Iraq war organization that has gotten national attention for its blasts against Sen. Barack Obama. This signals what has been expected -- a fierce battle by Republicans to reclaim the seat McNerney, a Democrat, won from Richard Pombo two years ago.

Meanwhile, neither George Radanovich nor Dennis Cardoza even has a token challenger this year. For Cardoza, this is the first time in a political career dating to the mid-1980s that he's been unopposed. He plans to do some campaigning anyway, as a way to stay connected to voters. That's even more important now that he's living in Washington, D.C. Cardoza moved from Merced a few months ago so his family could spend more time together.

On election night, hot off beating back a recall effort, state Sen. Jeff Denham said he wouldn't decide until early 2009 whether to pursue the lieutenant governor position in 2010. Is the Atwater Republican really going to wait that long? Denham says yes.

"This has been a very tiring year so far and we're only halfway through it. I need to see what the rest of the year has for us. It's a decision my wife and I need to make together," he said. The Denhams' children are in elementary grades and a statewide campaign would mean more travel demands and more time away from family.

There's a certain irony, of course, that the recall gave Denham a higher profile around the state, certainly among the Republicans who rushed to defend him against the tactics of outgoing Senate President Pro Tem Don Perata, D-Oakland. Denham acknowledges the unintended benefit, adding, "it is certainly not the path I would recommend anyone take" to gain name recognition.

The other irony: The recall lost by a huge margin and in the end it probably did more harm to Perata than to Denham. Perata was chastised by media around the state for acting like an obnoxious playground bully.

What's the price of democracy? That's a rhetorical question and a pragmatic one. Here's one answer: Here in Stanislaus County, it cost $758,000 to run Tuesday's election, whose ballot had only six contested races or propositions. Most people only had two or three choices to make. And fewer than 50,000 voters participated. It works out to $15 per participating citizen.

Sly is editor of The Bee's Opinions pages. Contact her at jsly@modbee.com or 578-2317.