In retrospect, Jerry McNerney’s upset win over Richard Pombo in 2006 may have been an omen. A seven-term congressman with a high national profile and leadership credentials in the House of Representatives, Pombo’s loss to the low-key but high-integrity McNerney didn’t produce the Blue Wave Valley Democrats had hoped for, but it did show an increasing voter concern for rising corruption in government. Pombo had been tainted by a close […]
TJ Cox
Valley Democrats: It’s About Winning
The midterm wave of Democratic wins in traditionally Republican California districts brought on a spate of conspiracy theories, none wackier than the one put forward by California District 1o (CA-10) loser Ted Howze. But it turns out District 10 was indeed illustrative of several factors that could well determine the future of the Democratic Party, not just in California, but across the nation. The Primary race began with a crowded […]
Democrats Fill the House
There was a time when the only way to get more than twenty local Democrats together was to offer free food, and even then it was hard to tell how many were Democrats and how many had wandered in from the streets. Those days are over. Friday night, Democrats filled Modesto’s 444 seat Foster Family Theater (in the Gallo Center for the Arts) to overflowing for the most recent debate […]
Will TJ Cox’s Momentum Hold?
TJ Cox doesn’t enter a room, he explodes into it, hurled by some mighty force of nature. His arrival is usually accompanied by a loud, “Hey,” uttered when he recognizes someone he knows. Cox was especially buoyant at Wednesday night’s meet-and-greet at Modesto’s Camp 4 Restaurant, where he seemed to know everyone. Cox may be shorter than average, but his positive presence is almost larger than life. He’s both high […]
Only One Question for Democrats after Debate
After six superb candidates demonstrated competence, compassion and command of issues dear to the hearts of Valley Democrats during Wednesday night’s candidate forum in Turlock, there’s really only one question: Which of them can defeat Jeff Denham in the 2018 race for California’s District 10? Early front-runners Dottie Nygard and Virginia Madueno didn’t appear to lose any luster, Mateo Bedolla impressed everyone as an up-and-comer with a bright political future, […]