The comeback hopes of ethically-challenged former congressman Richard Pombo were dashed Tuesday, with the anti-environmentalist from California coming in a disappointing third place in the GOP primary in the state’s 19th district.
Pombo was ousted from Congress in 2006 with assists by a big push from conservationist groups and his own myriad ethical problems. (TPMmuckraker’s ethics retrospective on Pombo is here.)
His comeback effort attracted a lot of national media attention, but last night Pombo garnered just 20 percent of the vote, with state Sen. Jeff Denham coming in first with 36 percent.
Said Defenders of Wildlife Action Fund President Rodger Schlickeisen: “This is a victory for everyone in the 19th district and, for obvious reasons, this is also a huge victory for conservationists across the county.”
What’s next for Pombo? It’s not entirely clear, but his bio page at Pac/West, the PR firm he joined after leaving Congress, has apparently been kept on ice.
Late Update: Pombo said Tuesday night “My intention is to go back to my ranch,” according to the Stockton Record.
