State senator considers Doolittle’s seat
WASHINGTON (AP) — State Sen. Tom McClintock, a darling of
California conservatives, may add his name to the already crowded GOP primary
field in the Northern California district now represented by John Doolittle,
his political adviser said Feb. 19.
McClintock represents Thousand Oaks in Southern California, but
the GOP incumbent in his area, Rep. Elton Gallegly, plans to seek re-election.
Doolittle, under investigation in a Washington lobbying scandal, announced he
will retire at the end of his current term.
That creates a rare open House seat in a conservative district and
an opportunity for McClintock, who will be forced by term limits to give up his
state Senate seat at the end of this year.
McClintock “has been getting almost a torrent of support” since
conservative activists floated his name last week, adviser John Feliz told The
Associated Press in a phone interview.
McClintock has formed an exploratory committee to raise money for
polling and other activities and likely will make an announcement by the end of
the week, Feliz said.
“I would say ‘strongly considering’ is an apt description,” he
said.
Already in the race are former Rep. Doug Ose and former state Sen.
Rico Oller, among others.
McClintock is a GOP standard-bearer who has had several
unsuccessful runs for statewide office, including governor during the 2003
recall, controller in 1994 and 2002, and lieutenant governor in 2006. He also
ran unsuccessfully for Congress in 1992.
The 4th Congressional District takes in suburbs of Sacramento and
rural counties to the north. Doolittle, who is under federal criminal
investigation in the Jack Abramoff lobbying scandal, is in his ninth term
representing the district but announced last month that he would retire.
Ose and Oller indicated McClintock’s decision would not change
their plans.
“He and I have
been friends for many years and he is a solid conservative, and ideologically
he and I are very similar to each other,” Oller said.