Pursuing her third term as a U.S. senator, Barbara Boxer is the best choice to represent California.
Running unopposed in the democratic primary, Boxer was first elected to the senate in 1992, when California became the first state to have elected two women to serve together as senators. Since, Boxer has been a strong advocate for education, the environment and women’s rights.
Boxer authored legislation to provide federal money for after-school programs and has worked to make drinking water safer. She is a fierce defender of a woman’s right to choose and is a leader in protecting women around the world. In 1997, Boxer put forth a senate resolution calling for the United States not to recognize the Taliban as an official government in Afghanistan because of its brutal treatment of women.
Republicans will not have a strong candidate to challenge Boxer.
Former California Secretary of State Bill Jones will likely emerge from a crowded field of Republicans including three other competitive candidates. By most accounts, Jones was a capable secretary of state, but he finished a sad third in the GOP primary for the governorship in 2002. A traditional conservative, he would have trouble winning a statewide election for senate.
Toni Casey, the former mayor of Los Altos Hills, and Rosario Marin, former U.S. treasurer, are running their campaigns saying they could draw moderate votes from Boxer in a general election. But both have résumé problems, offering little experience as they pursue election.
From the far right, Howard Kaloogian has run a campaign based on immigrant and gay bashing.
Kaloogian and the other Republicans say Boxer is out of step with California values. But Boxer, who opposed war in Iraq and stands up strongly against the Bush administration, offers a voice in Washington that millions of voters in one of the country’s most progressive states would not otherwise have.