Orange County Register

Democrat Bill Hedrick came in under the radar with his near upset of Rep. Ken Calvert, R-Corona, last year. But when you come within 2.4 percentage points of beating a congressional incumbent, you’re suddenly on everybody’s radar.

The upside for Hedrick is he’s getting an earlier start, earlier support and more money for round two against Calvert next year. For instance, the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee, which pours big money into the most competitive races, did nothing for Hedrick in last year’s bid. This year, they’ve already started radio ads and phone calls criticizing Calvert’s votes on proposed legislation.

Another sign: Last year, Rep. Loretta Sanchez, D-Garden Grove, threw Hedrick a fundraiser the month before the election, when it finally became clear that he was a serious contender. This time, Sanchez and Wylie Aitken, head of the Democratic Foundation of Orange County, are throwing a fundraiser in June - more than a year before the election.

About 80 percent of the district is in Riverside County, where Hedrick is better known than in Orange County thanks to his 20-year stint on the Corona-Norco Board of Education. He won in Riverside County last time, with Orange County providing Calvert with the boost needed to prevail.

In the Riverside County portion of the congressional district, Hedrick is focusing on registering new voters, since he says just half of eligible voters are signed up. In the Orange County portion of the district - the southernmost reaches of the county - registration percentage is high, and the focus will be on meeting more people.

“We need to expand on what we had last time,” he said. “There’s plenty of room for me to get better known in Orange County.”

Hedrick brought in less than $200,000 in campaign money the first time around, while Calvert raised more than five times that amount. This time, Hedrick hopes to reach the $1 million mark.

Hedrick initially got into last year’s race because of his opposition to the war in Iraq. This time, it sounds like one of his key talking points beside health care will be the economic stimulus plan, which could bring 9,200 jobs to the layoff-ridden Riverside County portion of the district.

While Hedrick opposed the bank bailout, he says Obama’s stimulus plan can do a lot to help the district - and is eager to make sure people know that Calvert voted against it.

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