"Two Elections, One Conservative Choice."
This is the big print on the first piece of political mail that will hit the mailboxes of Republican voters in the 50th Congressional District in the campaign of conservative businessman Bill Hauf, who will today announce his official ‘entry’ into the race for the regular June primary for this heavily GOP Congressional District occupied until late last year by former Congressman/now-convict Duke Cunningham.
You can check out the mail piece by clicking the link to it at the bottom of this column.
In April, a host of GOP candidates duked it out in the Special Election ‘primary’ and former Congressman now Federal lobbyist Brian Bilbray, with about 15% of the GOP vote in that dust-up, earned the honors to go up against Democrat Francine Busby in June. But this special election run-off is on the same ballot as the regular primary, where all of the GOP candidates who appeared on the special election ballot last month once-again appear.
Bill Hauf, who had a poor showing in that April election (less than 2%) has decided to run in the regular primary. Hauf is banking on that fact that this go-around, there will only be two GOPers actively campaigning for the votes of Republican voters in this second ballot-question — himself and Brian Bilbray.
You can read from my weekend piece on Bilbray that the former Congressman racked up a rather dismal record of conservatism in his previous three terms in the House.
Hauf’s first piece presents a "Republican Report Card" on Bilbray, giving him an "F" on Taxes and Spending, an "F" on Gun Rights, a "D" on Family Values, and an "Incomplete" on immigration.
The Hauf piece also gives an insight to how confusing this ballot may be for voters, with a significant portion of the mail being devoted to explaining to voters about how there are two separate elections taking place in the 50th on the same ballot.
Hauf’s entry into the race isn’t surprising news for anyone who knows Bill Hauf. I had an opportunity to get to know Bill as he was along on a recent two-day foray to Washington, D.C., when a group of us traveled back with businessman Eric Roach, who just shy of Bilbray in the special, and was the ‘conservative top-vote getter’ in the race. Roach ultimately decided not to run, but Hauf has decided to step up for conservative values.
One has to admire Hauf — after all, the dynamics of trying to win a primary with Bilbray make the task daunting. If the special election were not on the same ballot, then this would be a straightforward battle between a conservative and a liberal/moderate Republican. But there is an added dynamic at play, with GOP voters also being expected to rally around Bilbray to prevent Francine Busby from being elected in the Special Election.
I spoke with Hauf’s campaign Communications Director David Gilroy yesterday (I played phone tag with Hauf) who said that Hauf is definitely in the race. Hauf’s lead consultant on this race is the talented Chris Jones, out of the Sacramento Area. I have known Chris for a long time, and he will run a smart campaign – but that said, if I were Bilbray, I would hold onto my seat. Jones has no problems with running a ‘contrast campaign’. As a matter of fact, I don’t see how Hauf can win unless he makes a strong, convincing case to Republican voters in the 50th that electing Bilbray (to the full term) would send the wrong message to Congress.
Of course, it is also worth noting that Hauf spent over a million dollars in the special election, and Gilroy told me that, "Hauf will spend whatever he needs to in order to get out his conservative, reform message."
It will be interesting to see how this develops. One thing is for sure, a Hauf v. Bilbray primary will certainly bring more conservatives to the polls in June. The question is whether they will vote for Hauf on one ballot, and Bilbray on another…
We’ll be following this race with interest!
May 15th, 2006 at 12:00 am
I’ve gotten to know Bill Hauf and he’s a solid, decent American. It’s time we tell the National GOP big wigs that we’re not marching in lock step with them anymore. They have wrecked the party, undermined the platform and worked quietly against conservative candidates for too long. Our Republican leadership in Congress has ignored the border, ignored the grassroots and spent our taxdollars like drunken sailors on shore leave. It’s time to just say “No” to today’s GOP leadership and bring in new leadershp. The election of Bill Hauf would be a good start.
Steve Baldwin
May 15th, 2006 at 12:00 am
This race will be very interesting.
May 15th, 2006 at 12:00 am
I don’t know Bill Hauf from Adam but if Steve is behind him, I will get everyone I know in the 50th to vote for him. I have aleady talked to a number of conservatives who have said “anybody but Bilbray” — most had planned to write in Roach’s name so hopefully Hauf can convert those types.
From my years in San Diego, I vividly remember Roger Hedgecock’s “Hold Their Feet to the Fire” campaigns. He would regularly chastise members of congress and the state legislature regarding their actions. If Bilbray gets elected, he will just be one more guy in DC who needs his feet burned.
May 15th, 2006 at 12:00 am
Get serious – this guy got 1.6% of the vote after spending a million dollars in the primary.
Bill Hauf cannot win, but by going negative, he can hand the district to the Democrats in June which has huge national ramifications for the rest of 2006.
May 15th, 2006 at 12:00 am
Although, Dwight, it doesn’t appear that Roger & Jimmy are in any hurry to fire up their portable BBQ for Bilbray.
As far as the national ramifications go – losing control of one or both houses can’t be much worse than the $3 or $4 trillion in new national debt this wonderful GOP Congress has racked up since 2001. There are some excellent arguments for casting one’s vote for Bilbray, but that one doesn’t rank too high on my list.
May 15th, 2006 at 12:00 am
If Hauf is serious about becoming the repulican candidate in the November elections, he should stress how those elections will shape our struggle against the jihadists who want to destroy our Nation. His main argument should be that the democratic party is dominated by its rabid anti-war left, and if the democrats control Congress they will hand victory to the jihadists. He should remind the voters that the jihadists have not attacked us at home since 9/11 simply because if they did that they would make it more difficult for the democrats to win elections. He should stress that by killing a few Americans in Iraq day after day instead of killing thousands of us here, by destabilizing Iraq instead of causing us billions worth damages in the U.S., the jhadists help the American Left to drum up its defeatist propaganda, sow doom and discoragement, induce people to get mad at George Bush, so that they may win elections, and then make a gift of Iraq to our sworn enemy. By asking voters to chew on this fact, he will convince them that a vote for any democrat – Busby included – is a vote for the jihadists’ victory and America’s defeat.
If Hauf makes this argument the basis of his campaign he has a strong chance of winning. The best campaign slogan he could use is “Nobody can beat America but America itself” and then add “a vote for Busby would help Leftist America beat Mainstream America, a vote for me would assure the victory of Mainstream America against the jihadists and any other conceivable enemy” The same approach should also be taken by all republican political campaigns in the forthcoming elections.