Former President Clinton Campaigning At UC Davis
DAVIS (CBS13) - Former President Bill Clinton will come to UC Davis on Tuesday to rally support for four Democrats involved in tough races for the House.
Clinton is bringing his star power to this section of California, putting a spotlight on four tightly contested congressional races.
Clinton hopes to help two incumbent Reps. John Garamendi and Jerry McNerney at a rally Tuesday at the University of California, Davis. He also hopes to boost the fortunes of Ami Bera and Jose Hernandez, who are seeking to unseat Reps. Dan Lungren and Jeff Denham.
They're in tight races after an independent panel redrew the state's political boundaries, making some of them much more competitive and bringing new attention and money to California.
"The stakes are very high and these people are very serious, both Democrats and Republicans," said UC Davis political science Professor Robert Huckfeldt.
Huckfeldt says California's recent redistricting has made once-safe seats vulnerable.
"So that's where the money is going to go, that's where Bill Clinton's going to go, that's were Republicans who have some clout with voters are going to go," Huckfeldt said. "That's where resources go."
The high-stakes races here are among the most expensive in the state, with total contributions exceeding $1 million in each race and in some cases topping $2 and $3 million per district.
Now Clinton will take the stage on a campus whose students were in elementary school when he was on office.
"I remember President Clinton, I mean I was really young at the time, so I can't speak too much of that, but President Clinton is so, so popular right now," said Aref Aziz with the Davis College Democrats.
If politics are about money and power, both are about to be on hand at UC Davis.
"Obviously we have a contested race, but the super PACs are here, and we've got the superman to take on the super PACs," said Rep. John Garamendi.
