In case you missed it Sunday….
Hunter’s rivals work to stand out
By Michele Clock
STAFF WRITER
Duncan D. Hunter is making his first run for Congress, but he’s got many of the advantages of an incumbent.
As the son of U.S. Rep. Duncan Hunter, R-Alpine, the 31-year-old captain in the U.S. Marine Corps Reserve has built-in name recognition and political connections, and he has raised more money than his rivals for the 52nd District seat.
How much those assets will help in the June 3 statewide primary remains to be seen.
Meanwhile, Duncan D. Hunter’s three Republican rivals are using their own considerable experience and connections to collect endorsements and carve out constituencies, which could play an elevated role in a campaign in which there is little difference among the candidates on key issues.
All the Republican candidates are focusing on their backgrounds to underscore why they would be best qualified to serve the heavily Republican district, which covers much of eastern and northeastern San Diego County and parts of the city of San Diego.
Bob Watkins, 65, president of the San Diego County Board of Education, has established himself as a successful businessman and formed deep connections with Republican establishment figures over his five decades in the county.
Brian Jones, 39, a Santee city councilman and former minister, is emphasizing what he calls his "foundation in faith" and conservative stances on issues such as abortion and same-sex marriage. He also is getting help from pastors and home-schooled students.
Rick L. Powell, 60, a retired Army colonel and former federal agent with the U.S. Customs Service, is playing up his lengthy military record and work investigating the smuggling of weapons of mass destruction and other sensitive matters.
The candidates’ endorsements also reflect their different bases of support.
Candidate Hunter has collected endorsements from many of his father’s colleagues in Congress. There is a long list of Republican House members backing the younger Hunter, including 15 California representatives, as well as legislators and about a dozen local elected officials from the district. Hunter also is supported by many community figures.
Watkins culls most of his high-profile support from the county’s Republican establishment, including Sheriff Bill Kolender and county Supervisors Ron Roberts and Greg Cox.
Jones, in addition to backing from religious leaders, has the support of a number of elected officials in East County.
While tight Republican primaries sometimes come down to differences on social issues, the splintering seen here appears to be less about ideological differences than connections and experience.
"There’s no question those candidates have been strong and like-minded on the social issues," said Barry Jantz, a former La Mesa councilman and political blogger supporting Hunter. "You don’t have someone who is standing out as the only socially moderate Republican. . . . It’s not about ideological differences, it’s about some of the personal choices."
The district, along with the 4th District in Northern California, is one of two vacant congressional seats in the state. The seat came open after Rep. Hunter decided not to run again so he could pursue a bid for the Republican presidential nomination.
In the Democratic primary, Mike Lumpkin, 43, a retired Navy SEAL commander, is competing against Vickie Butcher, 66, an educator and executive with a nonprofit organization that provides safe water to children in Africa. Also running is Libertarian Michael Benoit, 57, who owns a home inspection company and flier-delivery service.
Lumpkin, who has been endorsed by the state Democratic Party and campaigned in the district with former U.S. Sen. Max Cleland, D-Ga., is among the candidates trying to cast Hunter’s family ties as a vulnerability. At a Democratic debate this spring, he criticized Rep. Hunter for trying to pass the seat down to his son.
"That smacks of a monarchy to me," Lumpkin said. "You expect that in Libya. You expect it in North Korea. You expect it in other places around the world, not here in the United States, not in California and not here in San Diego’s East County."
Lumpkin has the support of many of the local Democratic clubs, while Butcher is backed by San Diego Councilwoman Donna Frye and incoming state Assembly Speaker Karen Bass, D-Los Angeles.
Jones is trying to paint Duncan D. Hunter as an extension of the status quo in Congress, challenging his father’s support of a controversial aircraft built by La Jolla’s duPont Aerospace Co. He also is criticizing the candidate’s refusal to oppose all earmarks – federal money for pet projects slipped into large spending bills with little public scrutiny.
Other candidates are using humor to play down the family ties.
Asked how he planned to overcome Hunter’s name recognition advantage, Watkins pulled his hunting license from his pocket, joking that he was a "hunter," too.
For his part, candidate Hunter disputes any talk of legacies. He said he decided to run on his own to continue his service to the country. He has completed three tours of duty as a Marine since Sept. 11, 2001, two to Iraq and one to Afghanistan, something he brings up often in debates and forums.
"You have to run for it," Hunter said of a congressional seat. "Doesn’t matter who you are. People don’t care, I don’t think, that we’re from the same family. They want someone who is going to represent them, who’s going to work hard for them."
Forty-four percent of voters in the district are registered Republicans, 31 percent Democrats and the rest are either third party or decline to state. Rep. Hunter was never seriously challenged for re-election during his 28-year congressional career.
Voter attitudes toward candidates from well-known political families have been ambiguous over the years, said Bruce Buchanan, a government professor at the University of Texas at Austin.
"On one hand people complain about it now with the Clintons and the Bushes with the 28 years of a two-family rule," Buchanan said. "On the other hand, it does not seem to be a major factor in either of those cases."
Another candidate could overcome Hunter’s name advantage, he said, if he or she were to raise enough money, and have a mixture of charisma, personality, and a strong message and record.