Republican
Pombo was challenged in the primary by former Republican Congressman Pete McCloskey, perhaps best known for challenge to Richard Nixon's re-election bid in 1972. McCloskey last ran for office in 1982, when he left the San Francisco Bay Area House seat he had held for 16 years to run for a U.S. Senate seat (he lost in the primary). McCloskey had been endorsed by the Sacramento Bee, the San Jose Mercury News, and the League of Conservation Voters.
McCloskey attacked Pombo on the Iraq war as well as Pombo's ethics and longstanding reputation as an anti-environmentalist. Critics of Pombo noted that as chair of the House Resources Committee, "Pombo has been an advocate of easing land-use regulations throughout his House career, and is spearheading efforts to scale back the Endangered Species Act (which McCloskey helped author in 1973)." A third candidate joined the race, businessman Thomas A. Benigno, who had run against Pombo and received 13 percent of the vote in the 2002 Republican primary.
| California's 11th congressional district Republican primary, 2006 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Candidate | Votes | Percentage | ||
| Richard Pombo (incumbent) | 35,493 | 62.4% | ||
| Pete McCloskey | 18,132 | 31.9% | ||
| Tom A. Benigno | 3,263 | 5.7% | ||
| Total votes | 56,888 | 100.0% | ||
Read more about this topic: California's 11th Congressional District Election, 2006, Primary Campaign and Results
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