ELECTIONS 2012: Baca to run in the 35th Congressional District
10:00 PM PDT on Monday, September 12, 2011
WASHINGTON - Inland Rep. Joe Baca said Monday he would run in the California's newly drawn 35th Congressional District.
"I have a proven track record and will continue to fight to create and keep new jobs here at home, lower the number of home foreclosures, and protect Social Security and Medicare for all Americans moving forward," the Rialto Democrat said in a written statement.
Baca lives outside the 35th, which includes Ontario, Chino, Pomona, Montclair, parts of Fontana and Rialto and unincorporated Bloomington.
There is no rule against living outside one's district and it was unclear Monday afternoon whether he planned to move his residence.
By declaring in the 35th, Baca finds himself in a more heavily Democratic seat than the 31st, where he now resides, and he sidesteps a potential showdown with 17-term incumbent Rep. Jerry Lewis. Lewis, R-Redlands, was also drawn into the 31st, which includes San Bernardino, Redlands, Colton, Loma Linda and Rancho Cucamonga.
Lewis has not yet made his intentions known and had no comment Monday on Baca's announcement or whether Baca's decision would weigh into a decision on whether to run in the 31st. Democrats outnumber Republicans in that district only slightly, by a margin of 41 percent to 37.5 percent. But in the 35th, where Baca has chosen to seek an eighth term, Democrats hold a 48.6 to 29 edge.
But Baca already has Democratic company in the race. State Sen. Gloria Negrete McLeod, D-Chino, announced last week that she is running in the 35th. Assemblywoman Norma Torres, D-Pomona, is also eyeing a run there.
Baca now represents San Bernardino, Rialto and much of the western San Bernardino Valley. The new 35th, drawn by the state's redistricting panel, includes more than 60 percent of his current district. Baca also represented all of the territory in the 35th during his tenure as a state senator, he said.
"It has been my distinct honor to fight for the residents of the Inland Empire in Congress since first winning a special election in 1999," he said.
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