H/T to Roll Call’s David Drucker for the FR shoutout…

By David M. Drucker
Roll Call Staff

Friday, March 10

Rep. Elton Gallegly (R-Calif.) waited until minutes before the state’s filing deadline late Friday to announce that he would not seek an 11th term.

After already filing to run for re-election in California’s 24th district, Gallegly cited an unresolved medical issue for his decision, the Ventura County Star reported.

As of the close of business Friday, 37-year-old attorney Michael Tenenbaum was the only Republican who had filed to run in the June 6 primary. But one California-based source said former state Assemblyman Tony Strickland (R) was trying to figure out a way to file to run for Gallegly‘s seat.

The Flashreport Web site was reporting that Strickland — currently the president of California Club for Growth and a candidate for state controller — was unsuccessful in his attempt to file after the 5 p.m. Pacific Standard Time deadline had passed.

Jon Fleischman, a former executive director of the California Republican Party who runs Flashreport.org, said in a posting on his Web site that Strickland was considering a write-in campaign for the Republican nomination to Gallegly’s seat. Strickland briefly flirted with running against Sen. Barbara Boxer (D-Calif.) in 2004, but dropped out of the race well in advance of the Republican primary.

Gallegly, who turned 62 on Tuesday, has served the Ventura County-area district in the House since 1986. The Star reported that he debated over the past few weeks whether his medical condition would allow him to serve his constituents but ultimately decided it was not possible for him to remain in Congress.

“I have been dealing with a medical issue that is yet to be resolved,” Gallegly said in a news release issued Friday evening. “Although I am hopeful it will be resolved positively, it would not be fair to my constituents and supporters should I be forced to withdraw from the race mid-year. This has not been an easy decision but I believe it is the correct one.”

Gallegly won re-election in 2004 by nearly 30 points; his seat, which includes parts of Ventura and Santa Barbara counties, should not be difficult for the Republicans to hold this year. Still, two Democrats have filed to run for their party‘s nomination: Jill Martinez, a Presbyterian minister in Oxnard, and Mary Pallant, an Oak Park resident and Democratic Party activist.

This entry was posted on Saturday, March 11th, 2006 at 12:00 am and is filed under Blog Posts.