Is It OK To “Carpetbag”?
Full disclosure, I am a paid staff member of the Goehring for Congress campaign. This article is solely meant to reflect my personal views as a political observer. I apologize for any misunderstanding arising from the lack of a disclosure on initial publication. David Creager (dcreager123@yahoo.com).
Anyone who paid attention to high school level American History learned about carpetbaggers, northerners who went to the south to run for office after the civil war. It’s an old tactic for cheap political victory and personal gain, but does it still mean that? In my home congressional district there are two Republicans carpetbagging in order to run against a vulnerable incumbent. Thus the question arises, are they running because they are a good candidate, because they represent their potential constituents, or are they running for personal enrichment and a political job?
These two candidates, Larry Pegram and Tony Amador are both from outside of the 11th district as recently as within the last month or two. Furthermore, they are way out. The district is comprised of the east bay area and the San Joaquin valley, yet Larry Pegram lives in San Jose, and Tony Amador recently moved from Sacramento. Neither of which have any tie in any sense to the 11th Congressional district. They don’t like to talk about this fact, yet the fact remains they don’t even know our district. Pegram was even quoted recently as claiming McNerney rode the Obama wave into office, even though he was elected two years before Obama even ran for president. Obviously he is out of touch with even the most basic history of the district. None of the candidates have a background in transportation, a key issue in the east bay, and only one Republican, Brad Goehring, has a history in Ag and Water issues, the key issues in the valley. Just recently in that much talked about special election in NY-23 where the conservative party candidate took on a Democrat head to head after Scazzofava the liberal Republican dropped out the conservative lost. Not because he didn’t represent the district, the district is a strongly conservative district, but because Congressional elections are local elections, and the Conservative candidate was not a resident of the district.
So what causes a candidate like Larry Pegram or Tony Amador to run for a district in which they have no history, no name ID, no knowledge of key local issues, and no ability to raise money?
Here’s what I want to know, and I would love your feedback on this issue, does it bother you to see candidates relocate simply for a job? Should constituents demand their candidates for office be local to the position they are running for? And, should state law be amended to bar candidates from running who do not have an established residence in a district, at least at the time they file for office, and possibly for 3-6 months in advance?
4 Comments
I fully agree. These people are running to be our REPRESENTATIVES. How do you represent something you have no ties or knowledge of. I’m sure these two men are more than qualified to run in their OWN districts, but why go through the trouble, when they can campaign amongst a large conservative base in the Central Valley. We need someone who can represent OUR needs, not someone who’s just looking for a job for the next two years.
No it is not okay to carpetbag. I do not understand why someone would do this. If they need a job for the next 2 years, there are plenty of others out there, even in this economy, besides political office. Let’s support Conservative Republican candidates who say what they mean, mean what they say, and come from the district they want to represent in Congress.
Minimum two year resident before running in a district. Nevada County now stuck with McClintock and that is shameful. Change state law. Two years not only gives a person time yo understand local district issues, and gives VOTERS a chance to know the real candidate.
State law doesn’t trump federal election law and the law in regards to residency is very clear in the constitution.
Yes, “Carpet Bagging” is wrong. Of course we should elect people that actually live in our districts. These are loaded question meant to generate populous talking points for future usage. At least that is why I would do it. Rat Fu*cking is an art form.
The lack of name id in a district is a huge handicap from day one. You can’t raise money, have limited volunteer resources, suffer from an inability to get those fantastic in kind contributions, etc. A campaign with resources, run efficiently, solid staff, and the utmost efficacy in getting out the message ought to turn these disadvantages into a solid primary victory. This is Goehrings race to lose. He has to really control the field to generate the ground swell necessary to defeat McNerney.