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Capps edges Mitchum in testy congressional campaign

November 6, 2014
Rep. Lois Capps

Rep. Lois Capps

Democratic Rep. Lois Capps won yet another election Tuesday, but she hardly cruised to victory as she has done many times in the past.

Capps narrowly edged Republican challenger Chris Mitchum, who had far less financial backing, yet still managed to garner 48.4 percent of the vote. Capps received support from 51.6 percent of voters.

Late in the campaign, the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee purchased $99,000 in radio ads attacking Mitchum.

An alleged coverup of a fatal DUI collision caused by one of her staffers alienated some voters over the past year. Capps allegedly attempted to place former staffer Raymond Morua in a veterans’ treatment facility after he killed a popular Santa Barbara bartender while driving drunk last year.

Capps drew further criticism late in the campaign for running a television ad that took a clip of a Mitchum interview out of context. The ad showed Mitchum saying he would not go to Washington to represent the 24th District, but when viewed in entirety, Mitchum was saying he would not go to Washington to bring back pork.

Capps, 76, has served in Congress since 1997. She will soon begin her 10th term in office and her 9th complete term.


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If the voters wanted any meaningful representation in the House, they should have sent a Republican simply because the Repubs run the place. A Dem in the US House is a useless as a Repub in Sacramento in terms of what they can do for the District at this point.

A 70 Seat Margin folks for the Evil Repubs….if you are a Dem…you have no control over any Spending or Tax Bills since they all must come from the house.


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It’s not the house that is the problem, it was the Senate. What has the Senate done in the last 6 years? How many un-debated, un-signed, bills are sitting on Reid’s desk? If the democrats did not have the major, national medias carrying their water, I think there would have been a landslide victory for the republicans.


Still, it is a start, but I do not expect much from republicans, either. Two sides of the same Acting Troupe, and all. It makes great news (one either loves it or hates it), but at the end of the day, as with all national politics, the “car” is not steered to a new course.


As much as the left hated everything Bush, Obama pretty much has been consistent, policy-wise, as his predecessor – usually doubling down on things like foreign military engagements, massive privacy invasions, etc. Only Obamacare seems to be his one piece of legislation that is different… and what an awesome thing that is. :(


The only good thing about republicans in office is we’ll at least get media spotlights on problems, issues, and corruption. I miss that, in general, since we had democrats running things (they usually get a complete pass). But again, two sides of the same coin…


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Now that Republicans have control in both legislative houses, they’ll demonstrate why they’re no good at governing and are just blowhard incompetents.

Mitch McConnell and John Boehner spent the last six years obstructing everything and doing nothing, and they won’t stop now.


With them, it’s not merely Gridlock.

Republicans are the vandals that put glue into the locks …and then they laugh about it.


Wait and see. They don’t know how to behave otherwise.

Being useless is a Republican merit badge.


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California is a bit behind the curve when it comes to politics. We’re waking up in this state but at an agonizingly slow rate. By the next election Brown will have this state so far behind the rest of the nation that the GOP will finally begin to gain ground on the democrats in California. Lois is in the minority and so the damage she can do will be limited. I’ve been so happy with the outcome in the midterms that Lois squeaking out a win doesn’t bother me in the slightest. Diane, and Barbara will soon retire because not being in charge will not sit well with them.After that…hopefully we can say that we survived the year of the women.


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California is AHEAD.

Governor Jerry Brown is doing an excellent job of cleaning up after the mess left by Ahhnold …just like he cleaned up after the destruction left after Reagan.


The budget is doing good, well on the way to surpluses for contingency. Every economic metric is improved and getting better under Brown.

Republicans are just failures at government …they hate it so much !


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Thanks Slowerfaster I needed a good laugh today…


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Laugh all you want. I have the facts on my side. Jerry Brown is the best governor this state has ever had, and he’s proved capable and competent TWICE after Republican BS’ing. Maybe you prefer Kansas where their low-tax, austerity governor is destroying the state, decimating education, and ruining their credit rating ?


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I lost all faith in Lois when she pledged to serve one term, then go hooked on Washington and broke that pledge. We are led by the honor-less.


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“Capps allegedly attempted to place former staffer Raymond Morua in a veterans’ treatment facility after he killed a popular Santa Barbara bartender while driving drunk last year.”


Sorry CCN, that is a false allegation; the attempt was by a staffer, Molly Culver who might be facing prosecution for her actions. As to whether or not she was directed by Congresswoman Capps directly to do so, unless you have a reliable source making the allegation that can be substantiated, you have your “reporting” wrong.


Could the Congresswoman have handled the whole situation in a much better way? Absolutely. I don’t believe that a case has been made that the Congresswoman was behind the push to get Mr. Morua into a treatment program; my assertion is based on reporting that I read here on CCN; if my assertion is wrong, please link to the “proof” of your reporting that has been posted here before. I do remember reading about Ms. Culver as the staffer who tried to get the treatment program going in an article that was posted here on CCN.


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Bob bob…bob….

We all heard you on the Dave Show trying to defend the Dems deceitful attack Ad that was a flat out lie….you sir have the same credibility as Pelosi. The Repubs OWN the house…so take your BS lies and tell them to Dave…he will at least listen as a fellow traveler…we just laugh at you, as do the US House Voters across the Country.


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That didn’t take long …Republicant’s griping with each other.


It sure would be nice if they all moved to Iowa where they could listen to the castrator clown, Joni Ernst and her wicked witch cackle.


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And the left’s war on women continues


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No, thats propaganda “information, especially of a biased or misleading nature, used to promote or publicize a particular political cause or point of view”


One cranky comment does not a war make, not even a skirmish.


Please stop the empty slogans, it’s not helping your case.


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I agree with your point but I also understand isoslo’s attitude.


It seems that many on the left (“slowerfaster?”) find a way to accuse everyone on the right of waging a “war on women” or “racism” using the broadest definitions possible combined with the most biased interpretations of words and actions. While they are sometimes right, the accusations are more commonly wrong and often intentionally so for propaganda purposes.


I think that isoslo is using a “turnabout is fair play” statement. I would rebut it by another old aphorism, “Two wrongs don’t make a right.”


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I have another one:


“You can always tell a Republican, but you can’t tell him much.”


With Republicans, two wrongs make for a talking point on FoxNews,

Two wrong politicians makes for a senatorial delegation.

Chuck Grassley is as dumb as a doorknob, and Joni Ernst is a bat-crappy lunatic.


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6.5 years of Obama…10 plus years of Pelosi, Reid, Capps, Boxer, Feinstein and it still hasn’t wrestled you out from your ideological slumber. Slowerfaster… part of your screen name fits to a tee.


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Which part ? How could YOU tell ?


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Another rough night???


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Capps is a useful idiot for the Democrats. Capps has voted with Nancy Pelosi more times than any other member of Congress.


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Nancy Pelosi the Wicked Witch of the West!


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Wicked — possibly, corrupt — definitely.


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Sexist comment!


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I am an adult I do not believe in witches.

Nancy Pelosi is one of the strongest voices in the Democratic Party – I am proud of her house leadership, she’s a speaker we can all be proud of.


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Well now that is interesting; I compared Compton & Arnold to Dumb & Dumber and i was blasted with accusations of sexism; but you call Capps an idiot, and that gets a pass? Conservatives are such hateful HYPOCRITES!


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Hey I know; I’ll revise my earlier statement; forget dumb & dumber; let’s just say Compton & Arnold are useful idiots for the Republicans. There! That should be OK with all the conservatives. Note: thumbs down will be counted as HYPOCRITES.


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The governor’s race was also lost because CA-GOP is waging war against conservatives.


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how do you say a stab in the back?

http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stab-in-the-back_myth


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Just have to accentuate your point:

Capps is absolutely and totally worthless in Congress


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We sent an empty chair back to Washington. What is wrong with us? The support of one member of Congress costs millions (staff, salaries, pensions, office rent, travel, et seq) for us we will get nothing in return. Capps is fully useless in Congress.


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Agreed, but did Mitchum have even one TV ad? The republicans should opened their wallets and she would be out. An embarressment to our district for sure. BTW, I sent him $100, but have no clue how it helped.


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Excellent point! I contributed to the RNC, but I don’t know how involved they were in the Capps/Mitchum campaign


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News flash! Contributions should be made directly to the candidates, not the party. The RNC establishment is waging war against conservatives.


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Likely no involved at all. I would guess the RNC considers California a lost cause at this point and is just waiting for it to implode and then they may feel there is a chance but not until then


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