Former Rep. Richard Pombo (R-CA), who lost his seat in 2006, will be trying to make a comeback from a neighboring, open GOP-held seat.
Pombo, who was first elected to the House in 1992, lost in 2006 to Democrat Jerry McNerney, thanks in part to Pombo’s ties to Jack Abramoff. McNerney was re-elected in 2008 against a different Republican candidate, and Barack Obama even carried the historically-GOP district.
Now, Pombo is seeking the Republican nomination for the more Republican seat of GOP Rep. George Radanovich, who announced his retirement last week. When Radanovich made his announcement, he also said that he had recruited state Sen. Jeff Denham to be the new Republican candidate. As a result, Pombo won’t have a clear path to the nomination, but will instead have to go through a primary, in which his opponent is supporting by the retiring incumbent, in order to get back to Congress.
