Obamacare, border mess likely to figure as pivotal points.
By Deepak Chitnis
WASHINGTON, DC: California Democratic Representative Ami Bera, who is currently campaigning to defend his seat in the upcoming November elections, may face a harder time getting re-elected than initially expected despite more than decent fundraising.
Bera raised over $700,000 in the last quarter, raising the total amount of cash he has on hand to around $2 million. His Republican opponent, Doug Ose, who is currently challenging Bera for control of California’s 7th Congressional District, only has about $450,000 at his disposal, giving Bera a critical edge in winning the crucial District located in and around Sacramento.
But Republicans nationwide are proving to be more and more difficult for Democrats to overcome, even if the Democrat in question is an incumbent, which Bera is. In the wake of Obamacare and the ongoing dispute regarding the border – which is a hot topic in southern California – Democrats have been weakened, and Republicans like Ose are taking advantage.
Bera’s support within the community, however, remains reasonably strong, in spite of Bera (a former physician) standing by Obamacare. In a recent statement, Ose said that “ObamaCare has proven to be nothing more than an absolute train wreck. This is another reason why ObamaCare needs to be repealed and replaced with a market based solution.”
The drought in California is also proving to be a large factor in the race, with Ose calling on Bera to induce stronger limits on the amount of water dumped into a local lake so that more of it can be diverted to the District’s constituents.
“I’m asking Congressman Bera to step up and do his job. He has the ability to reduce the amount of water released from Folsom Lake,” said Ose. “Congressman, your constituents are waiting for you to do your job.”
Bera, meanwhile, has remained mostly tight-lipped about these issues on the campaign trail after having won his primary in early June. The 2014 midterm elections will be held on November 3.