Republicans turn on each other in California US House fight
HUNTINGTON BEACH, Calif. (AP) — Twenty-three years ago, Scott Baugh was a little-known Southern California lawyer whose conservative politics and youthful brio impressed Republican U.S. Rep. Dana Rohrabacher, who steered his new protege to a seat in the state Legislature.
Now, Baugh wants the congressman's job.
What was once a political kinship forged around the values of the Reagan revolution has deteriorated into a nasty rivalry in a state where Republicans can scarcely afford it.
Democrats are pursuing a string of Republican-held House seats in California, four of them partially or entirely in Orange County. But in the 48th District, Rohrabacher also is fighting off one of his own.
In a worst-case scenario, the intraparty feud could cost the GOP a seat in a year when the balance of power in Congress might hinge on a handful of California races.
"It's a dangerous situation," said Republican national committeeman Shawn Steel, who's known Rohrabacher since the 1960s and is backing his friend's bid for a 16th trip to Capitol Hill.
The bad blood between the old allies appears to stem at least partly from Baugh's belief that the congressman reneged on plans to retire at the end of the current term. It also reflects a new reality in the increasingly Democratic state: Republicans fighting over their shrinking turf.
Rohrabacher, 70, is a one-time Cold Warrior who became Russia's leading defender on Capitol Hill. His name has come up in the investigation into Russian meddling in the 2016 presidential election; he has denied any wrongdoing.
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