It seems as though every day, it is getting harder and harder to read the tea leaves and keep track of the changing dynamics of the special election in the 50th Congressional, to replace the disgraced and resigned Randy "Duke" Cunningham, who infamously admitted his guilt in taking over $2 million in compensation for doling out government contracts.
It is the backdrop of this being ground-zero for an electorate betrayed by their Congressman that makes the drama so intense. There is a dynamic here that has never existed in a California Congressional special election before…
I have told a number of people that because of the pricy real estate values in much of this coastal San Diego district, there are literally tens of thousands of potential candidates one mortgage away from self-funding a race. Well, today there is a new Republican candidate jumping into the race, and he won’t have to mortgage any of his (multiple) houses, including the one in Rancho Santa Fe that he, his wife, and their five children call home.
Meet Eric Roach. Roach is not well-known in political circles. As a matter of fact, until FR San Diego Correspondent Duane Dichiara alerted our readers last week about his potential candidacy, I had never heard of him.
That has now changed — so let me take an opportunity to tell you something about Eric Roach, his campaign, and his campaign team. You see, I spoke with Roach last night about his run for Congress. The first thing I will say is that he is an articulate, likable, energetic and passionate person – these things all come across as soon as you start to talk with him.
Of course, I first asked him why he wanted to be a Congressman, to which he said, "The sytem is broken. People like me and the people in this district have been embarrassed by our local Congressman."
He said he was running because Washington needs someone who represents change. He said that, "As an individual you sit back and you look at the competitors. I dIdn’t see anyone who truly represented a difference."
So into the fray he has jumped — with both feet, and an open wallet.
**There is more – click the link**
February 6th, 2006 at 12:00 am
Exciting news. Looking forward to a possible McClintock endorsement, which will help to cement Roach as the true conservative/outsider/integrity candidate.