Doug Ose

U.S. Rep. John DoolittleU.S. Rep. John Doolittle’s final six months in office provide something of a sad bookend to a career of a man who was once considered a hero among California conservatives and a rising star within the Republican Party.

In a state that is largely dominated by the Democratic Party, Doolittle rose from the state senate to the U.S. House of Representatives, where he would eventually become House Conference secretary, the sixth-highest ranking position in the chamber.

“He was the golden boy for so long in a state that was Democratic,” said Barbara O’ Connor, a professor of political communications at California State University at Sacramento. “He was able to beat the odds.”

John Doolittle, the retiring congressman who is under investigation for his ties to jailed lobbyist Jack Abramoff, appears likely to campaign for state Sen. Tom McClintock, the Republican nominee for Doolittle’s Roseville-area seat.

“We’re talking about doing a couple of events and we’re putting them together,” said Doolittle spokesman Dan Blankeburg. Blankeburg declined to provide any further details, adding that the two sides had only talked in what he called “conceptual terms.”

McClintock is fresh off a victory in the June 3 Republican primary against Doug Ose, a former U.S. congressman. Doolittle declined to endorse in the race, saying he liked both candidates. Doolittle had supported Rico Oller, a former member of the state senate and state assembly, before Oller withdrew from the race in March.

Stan Devereux, a spokesman for McClintock, confirmed that the campaign had set up a meeting to discuss Doolittle’s support for McClintock.

In the end, state Sen. Tom McClintock’s victory over Doug Ose in the Republican primary for the seat of retiring U.S. Rep. John Doolittle had as much to with the realities of the 4th Congressional District as the candidates themselves.

The conservative tilt of the district, which gave George W. Bush 61 percent of the vote in 2004 and supported the 2003 recall of Gray Davis by a margin of 70 percent to 30 percent, made it a natural fit for McClintock, a veteran state legislator who is widely considered to be something of an icon in right-leaning circles. The tendency for party die-hards and activists to turn out in Republican primaries made the task that much more difficult for Ose, who is widely perceived as a moderate.

“It was an uphill climb the day he got in,” said Richard Temple, Ose’s chief political adviser, referring to McClintock’s March entrance into the race. “Most candidates didn’t want to take on that challenge. Ose did.”

Republican congressional candidate Tom McClintockThe Club for Growth, the independent conservative organization that advocates low taxes and limited government spending, is crowing over the primary victory of U.S. House candidate Tom McClintock.

With McClintock opponent Doug Ose investing nearly $3 million of his own personal wealth to blast McClintock, the club helped to fill a significant spending void for McClintock, who was relying on contributions to power his bid. The club bundled $200,000 for McClintock’s effort and ran $100,000 worth of television ads on his behalf.

“The Club for Growth PAC is proud to have supported conservative stalwart Tom McClintock. We are confident he will win his general election race in November and will be a conservative star in the United States Congress just as he was in the California Legislature,” said the club in a statement following McClintock’s Tuesday victory.

Former U.S. Rep. Doug Ose has called state Senator Tom McClintock to concede in the Republican primary for the District 4 U.S. House seat, PolitickerCA.com has learned.

Stan Devereux, a spokesman for McClintock, said the call took place shortly after 2 PM. Devereux characterized Ose as gracious. Ose pledged McClintock his personal and financial support in McClintock’s general election battle against Democrat Charlie Brown. He also pledged to write a letter to voters in the district on McClintock’s behalf.

“Tom felt very, very good about the conversation,” said Devereux. “Doug made a comment about putting this race in the past.”

State senator Tom McClintock has claimed victory in the Republican primary for the Roseville-area seat of retiring U.S. Rep. John Doolittle, according to the Sacramento Bee.

"It looks like we’re headed towards a monumental victory," McClintock said at an election night party, according to the paper.

McClintock’s apparent victory comes after a two-month campaign against fellow Republican Doug Ose that was widely seen as expensive and brutal.

An adviser to McClintock tells PolitickerCA.com that the speech was conciliatory in tone.

With nearly 49 percent of the vote in, McClintock has 53.6 percent. Republican rival Doug Ose, a former U.S. Congressman and wealthy land developer, trails with 38.3 percent.

It’s hard to believe, but the campaigns for Republican rivals Doug Ose and Tom McClintock agree on something: today’s primary election will be a decidedly low-turnout affair.

John Feliz, McClintock’s campaign manager, said he believes no more than 60,000 of the Roseville-area district’s 185,000 voters to cast ballots. Ose personally estimated earlier today that about 72,000 people would vote.

McClintock’s campaign, meanwhile, says that it is in the final hours of its get-out the vote operation.

“This is what it’s all about,” says Stan Devereux, a spokesman for the campaign. “What is underway is get-out the vote.”

After waging a bruising Spring-long battle against fellow Republican Tom McClintock, U.S. House candidate Doug Ose said today that the GOP would have to come together after Tuesday’s primary to maintain the seat the party has held for seven consecutive terms.

“I think we all have to coalesce,” Ose told PolitickerCA.com just moments after casting his ballot at the Placer County Elections Office in Auburn.

But Ose stopped short of saying he would endorse McClintock if he came up short in the vote and said he was unsure if his opponent would do the same.

“I don’t know what Tom will do,” he said.

Congressional candidate Charlie BrownOne day before Republican primary voters head to the polls in the race to succeed to retiring U.S. Rep. John Doolittle, the campaign for Democrat Charlie Brown has released an internal poll showing Brown narrowly leading both of his prospective Republican opponents in a November general election matchup.

The survey, conducted by Peter Brodnitz, shows Brown, a retired Air Force officer, leading former U.S. Congressman Doug Ose 38 percent to 34 percent and leading state Senator Tom McClintock 42 percent to 40 percent. The survey also shows a 43 percent to 43 percent split in a generic matchup between a Republican and Democrat.

The survey of 400 likely general election voters was conducted on May 14 and May 15 and has a margin of error of 4.9 percent. (Click here to see the poll.)

Republican Doug Ose has contributed $600,000 to his primary campaign effort for the seat of retiring U.S. Rep. John Doolittle, according to a Friday evening Federal Election Commission report.

Ose, a former U.S. Congressman and a millionaire land developer, has now poured $2,849,000 into his campaign coffers.

Ose is facing off in a June 3 primary against state Senator Tom McClintock. The winner of Tuesday’s contest will compete against Democrat Charlie Brown in November’s general election.