Ex-California Legislator Claims She Can Beat Lantos In Dem Congressional Primary
Congressman Tom Lantos (D-CA) might be on the verge of facing a really tough primary challenge. Former state Sen. Jackie Speier claims she has an internal poll that shows her beating Lantos in the primary by a 57%-27% margin. Speier has some name recognition built up after she ran for Lt. Governor in 2006, narrowly losing the Democratic primary, but she has not yet officially announced a campaign against Lantos.
Speier's pollster also told Roll Call that her poll did not include any push questions, but simply asked, "Who would you most likely support in the Democratic party primary for United States Congress, if the choice was..." and then the two candidates' names given in rotation.
Comments (13)
gqmartinez wrote on December 6, 2007 11:05 AM:Jackie is one of my favorite California leaders. She was an unusually effective legislator and should still be a state senator if we didn't have overly restrictive term limits. Jackie Speier is the reasons why CA term limits need to be adjusted.
Oh wait, she supports Hillary so she's evil. I forget.
Anonymous wrote on December 6, 2007 12:35 PM:Please leave well enough alone. Lantos has been one of the few to face the Bush
crime family.
Jackie should take on any one of the right wing nuts and do us all a favor.
Yeah, Lantos has really been one of the few to stand to up the Bush administration. First, he bravely decided to vote for the war in Iraq and has argued against defunding it (wouldn't want to rock the boat now), and more recently he has pushed for another set of draconian sanctions against that dangerous nuclear power, Iran, all against the Bush administration's loud objections. Lantos -- bold, decisive leadership.
Jeff Cohen wrote on December 6, 2007 12:58 PM:Lantos is a wholly owned subsidiary of Aipac, a total hawk, who vehemently and effectively promoted both Iraq wars. Never, never, in his whole career has he ever deviated from the anti-Arab, anti-Palestinian, anti-Israeli peace camp, line. He's a relic. We need a Democrat in there.
Steve wrote on December 6, 2007 1:14 PM:Both Tom Lantos and Jackie Speier are Democrats worthy of respect in my book. Lantos fought the Nazis as part of the Hungarian resistance and is the only Holocaust survivor ever to serve in the House. Jackie Speier is one of the few survivors of Congressman Leo Ryan's ill-fated trip to Jonestown in 1978, and is a woman of great personal and political courage.
Lantos is a strong liberal on domestic issues, but has received much grief from progressives for being one of the foremost Democratic supporters of the Iraq war. It's understandable. May the best candidate win.
john mccutchen wrote on December 6, 2007 1:43 PM:Lantos support of Israel and the Israel Lobby is a definite negative that has never been exploited in CD12
It will now!
Run Jackie RUN!
john mccutchen wrote on December 6, 2007 1:48 PM:Jackie Speier is VERY popular in her district and indeed with democrats across the Bay Area
Dave wrote on December 6, 2007 2:23 PM:Lantos is the founder of the Congressional Human Rights Caucus, and he has spent the past 30 years fighting against religious persecution and racial/gender/sexual orientation-based discrimination. That's good enough for me.
Jen wrote on December 6, 2007 3:29 PM:I'm not even from Congressman Lantos' district but if you guys elect this other woman it will be a huge mistake for the United States House of Representatives. Mr. Lantos is one of the most brilliant Members of Congress and works so hard for our country.
benjoya wrote on December 6, 2007 3:56 PM:he voted for the biggest foreign policy disaster in a generation. good riddance.
Drac wrote on December 6, 2007 4:53 PM:Lantos ("D"-AIPAC) is a dwarf by political comparison to Speier. He has to go. His knee-jerk indulgence of anything he sees as benefiting Israel and weakening any of its neighbors has led him to advocate for a war which has dramatically weakened the US' military, economic, political and moral standing in the world. Bouncing Lantos for Speier would provide leadership that would be more progressive on every level, more thoughtful, and more courageous. Lantos' history does not and should not give him a free pass for his lousy voting record, not just on foreign policy, but on other issues like the environment.
janinsanfran wrote on December 6, 2007 11:54 PM:It's great to see Lantos getting a meaningful challenge. He's been very good on labor issues, but he is indeed the Congressman from AIPAC when it comes to foreign policy. If Speier,who is a known force in the district, can knock him off, it will be because Lantos' hawkish stance is out of touch with his constituents. That would be a major victory for a more progressive Democratic Party than we've seen of late.
Dave wrote on December 11, 2007 12:35 PM:Drac, I challenge you to find a single anti-environment vote that Lantos has cast in 27 years in Congress. Go for it.
FYI, the League of Conservation Voters (which gives him 100% ratings) and the Sierra Club (which consistently endorses him) disagree with you.
