A SurveyUSA poll released today finds the race for the CA-50 congressional seat tied, with Democrat Francine Busby and Republican Brian Bilbray each the preference of 45% of likely voters.

The poll represents 442 likely voters sampled May 7-9. By party affiliation 50% of the respondents considered themselves Republican, 32% Democrats and 18% independents. Bilbray is the preference of 82% of the self-described Republicans, while Busby is the preference of 95% of Democrats and 54% of independents.

One point of interest, 54% of the Republicans surveyed did not vote in the April 11 special election, where just 35% of the Democrats claimed to have not participated. Bilbray's number therefore reflect the contribution of self-described likely voters, who did not bother to fill out an absentee ballot or drop by a polling station to choose their party's candidate for the run-off. What are to odds that this group will now turn out in mass to vote for Bilbray?

This poll was taken before Eric Roach "stood down" in his primary challenge of Bilbray and before Bill Hauf alerted the media that he was seriously considering an "aggressive" challenge of Bilbray in the primary.

All in all, this poll is good news for Busby. She has moved from being slightly behind Bilbray right after the special election (although within that poll's margin of error) to a dead even tie in a heavily Republican district.

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Good morning folks.  So here is our report, America for Sale: The Cost of Republican Corruption, which we released today to explain how the corruption in Republican-controlled Washington has harmed our country.  It shows how the harmful policies Republicans have passed into law over the past few years are the result of a corrupt process that gives "K Street Project" lobbyists more power to shape legislation than the legislators the people have elected to represent them in Washington.

Our report clearly demonstrates that when the GOP Congressional leaders allow Republican lobbyists to set the agenda and write the bills, the American people suffer the consequences. While the special interests walk away with billions of dollars in tax breaks, subsidies, and federal contracts, Americans must live with the bad laws this system produces. The political corruption we associate with now-notorious figures such as Duke Cunningham and Jack Abramoff comes at a very real cost to each and every one of us. - LMS

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Federal prosecutors presented a San Diego court with a recommended sentence for former congressman Randy "Duke" Cunningham. You can read the entire sentencing memorandum here or check out the San Diego Union Tribune's shorter version here.

Having admitted unparalleled corruption, defendant Randall H. Cunningham now comes before the Count to be sentenced for his stunning betrayal of the public trust. Cunningham used his status as a war hero to get into Congress, and then he used his Congressional office to get rich. In doing so, Cunningham reneged on his obligation to execute his office with conscientious, loyal, faithful, disinterested, and unbiased service. The length, breadth, and depth of Cunningham's crimes against the people of the United States are unprecedented for a sitting Member of Congress. So too, should be his sentence.

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The Sunday San Diego Union Tribune continues the paper's excellent coverage of the Randy "Duke" Cunningham saga. Dani Dodge's article concentrates on Cunningham's wife, Nancy, leaving it to readers to determine if this woman who spent 32 years was a victim or another of his co-conspirators.

Certainly, when Nancy Cunningham filed for divorce from flying ace, Randy Cunningham just two years into their marriage, she felt victimized.

"He is a very aggressive spontaneously assaultive person," she wrote in a court declaration, "and I fear for my immediate physical safety and well being."

But, the Cunningham's reconciled and Nancy worked diligently to smooth Duke's rough edges and restrain his spontaneously assaultive personality.

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San Diego businessman Brent Wilkes once boasted to a potential business partner that for a $1.5 million dollar investment in lobbying, he could achieve a nearly 1000% return in profits. Sunday's San Diego Union Tribune continues its fine reporting on Brent Wilkes and the various members of the Republican Congress on his payroll.

From 1995 to 2005, as Wilkes got federal funding for his family of small defense companies, he steered more than $600,000 in contributions to lawmakers and their political action committees.

The biggest beneficiary was House Appropriations Committee member John Doolittle from the Sacramento suburb of Granite Bay, who received at least $82,000 from Wilkes, his close relatives, employees and business partners. Appropriations Committee Chairman Jerry Lewis of Redlands received $60,000. Rep. Duncan Hunter of Alpine, chairman of the Armed Services Committee, got $39,200.

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