Winner of Democratic Primary will run against incumbent next
year Jerry McNerney and Steve Filson have each announced they are
seeking the Democratic Party nomination for the United States
Congress in California
’s 11th District in 2006. Each contender hopes to challenge
incumbent Republican Richard Pombo in next year’s elections.
Jerry McNerney and Steve Filson have each announced they are seeking the Democratic Party nomination for the United States Congress in California’s 11th District in 2006. Each contender hopes to challenge incumbent Republican Richard Pombo in next year’s elections.
McNerney, of Pleasanton, ran against Pombo in 2004. He thinks he can win this time and noted, entering late in the campaign, he only lost to Pombo by over 100,000 votes.
“We need to step up to the plate and invest in America much as our parents and grandparents did so we too can hand down a nation to our children and grandchildren that is secure and prosperous,” McNerney said. “We can do this by investing in education, by promoting clean energy innovation and conservation, and by providing affordable health care for all Americans. The best thing we in this district can do to secure the air we breath and the water we drink is to unseat Richard Pombo.”
Although Danville airline pilot Filson has never held political office, he believes his experience as a Navy officer, his past work on the campaign of Elaine Shaw, who challenged Pombo in 2002, and helping 10th District Representative Ellen Tauscher with her campaigns through the years have prepared him for the job.
“I’ve had a lot of experience helping them in their campaigns,” said Filson.
California’s 11th District is home to more than half a million people and covers a large portion of San Joaquin County, portions of the counties of Alameda, Contra Costa and Santa Clara. The cities of Morgan Hill, Gilroy and San Martin are in the 11th district.
Pombo is serving his seventh term in the United States House of Representatives. He has defeated all challengers since he was first elected to Congress in 1992, after serving two years as a Tracy city councilman.
Republican voters outnumber Democrats in the 11th Congressional District, but Filson said Democrats have poll data that shows Pombo is vulnerable.
“The activities of Congressman Pombo over the last year, especially his policies on the environment are disturbing,” said Filson. “I’m especially concerned about his (Pombo’s) recent actions regarding the endangered species act, which merely nullifies a lot of elements in the original 1973 act, especially the habitat section. I think it’s too extreme and will threaten critical species, and in combination with his wanting to compensate owners, would be a budget buster,” Filson said.
Filson added, in the area of transportation, he believes Pombo has not done much to get federal money especially for the widening of I-205 and Highway 4.
Filson said he is getting to know the 11th district. “We’re in the process of familiarizing ourselves with areas in the district, like Morgan Hill.”
Filson said he plans to attack Pombo on other fronts. As a military veteran — Filson flew Navy attack bombers for eight years before becoming a United Airlines pilot in 1978 — Filson’s supporters believe he can speak on such issues with authority.
Iraq “wasn’t well thought out, particularly the after the invasion part,” Filson said. “We are now just deploying up-armored Humvees … things like that, we need to hold (Republicans) accountable for.”
McNerney said he is unhappy with “scandals regarding the incumbent’s corruption and ineffectiveness for the district.”
He said he is familiar with Morgan Hill and was just at the Taste of Morgan Hill a couple of weeks ago.
“I know about the perchlorate issue and growth issues people face in the area,” McNerney said.
McNerney said he is concerned about the energy policy and would like to lessen the country’s dependence on oil.
“I’m also highly motivated and concerned about health care, it’s an important subject. In the area of education, I don’t believe our education system has prepared our workers for global competition,” McNerney added.
McNerney said Pombo “is one of the most powerful men in Congress, but this district has been badly neglected. Richard Pombo is not only ineffective, but he’s seriously corrupt and his corruption hurts us and the nation.”
McNerney said his concerns in the district include, “congested and decaying highways, levees that have recently failed and more that are about to fail, air pollution that is among the worst in the nation, unemployment that is twice the state average, and an educational system that needs serious attention.”
McNerney grew up in Albuquerque, N.M. and went to a Catholic military boarding high school in Hays, Kan. He has a PhD in mathematics from the University of New Mexico. He is a recognized expert in wind energy engineering, and has worked on national security programs. He is currently an energy consultant and the CEO of an energy start-up. McNerney and wife Mary have three children, all graduates of UC Davis.
Filson served as a Naval reserve officer until 1994 and holds a master’s degree in business administration from St. Mary’s College. He and his wife, Mary, an attorney, have two sons and two daughters.
So far, only McNerney and Filson have announced their intentions to vie for the Democratic nomination for the 11th Congressional District.
Pombo’s election campaign team said the congressman is not concerned about the challengers or their accusations yet.
“Congressman Pombo has always had challengers, but we haven’t put the A-team on yet,” said Wayne Johnson, Pombo’s election campaign consultant. “It’s tough to run against Congressman Pombo. He’s focused on bringing transportation dollars to the district, and across the spectrum he has won very handily.”
