Huntington Beach mayor Debbie Cook will challenge Dana Rohrabacher for the 46th congressional district
By John Earl
OC Voice Editor
Huntington Beach mayor Debbie Cook, a democrat, believes that she may be the first challenger in 20 years to unseat Dana Rohrabacher, the popular republican firebrand who represents the 
46th congressional district in the U.S. House of Representatives.
The district includes all of Huntington Beach, Costa Mesa, Fountain Valley, Seal Beach, Avalon, Rancho Pal os Verdes, Rolling Hills, Palos Verdes Estates and Rolling Hills Estates and parts of Long Beach, Westminster, Santa Ana and San Pedro.
Rohrabacher built his political career by bringing lucrative defense contracts to the district and zealously supporting unbridled U.S. military intervention abroad, voicing strong anti-“illegal immigrant” themes and by attacking local and global efforts to protect the env ironment.
He has consistently defeated his Democratic Party opponents and third party challengers by land slide margins. In 2001 the 46th was reshaped in a gerrymandering agreement between republicans and democrats in the state legislature and it is considered a “safe” republican district.
But Cook is not deterred. “There’s never been an elected official to oppose him,” she says, adding that Rohrabacher has failed to serve his district on important issues like groundwater replenishment (saving the local underground water supply from saltwater intrusion), preserving the Bolsa Chica Wetlands, dredging of Huntington Harbor or saving the bluffs on PCH (Pacific Coast Highway) from erosion.
“He’s been a Johnny Come Lately to those issues. When he sees the tide fully switch, then he jumps on, like he did with groundwater replenishment,” Cook claims. (more…)
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