Meacher says his 20 years as a supervisor show he is moderate. In what's becoming a crowded field of mostly Republican challengers, the only Democrat to enter the 1st District Assembly race so far is a Plumas County supervisor. But Robert Meacher, 59, sa

Penn Valley, CA February 9, 2012 â Today longtime conservative North State Senator, Assemblyman, and Oral Surgeon Sam Aanestad announced he is officially running for the open 1st Congressional District being vacated by retiring Congressman Wally Herger.

Our view: Sam Aanestad's entry into the congressional race should be welcomed. Democracy works better with closely contested elections. appears there's more to this, however, than just Sam Aanestad needing something to do in retirement. The battle to tak

Leading Off: As legislative leaders secretly developed new election maps last year to strengthen their majority, Republican lawmakers were told to ignore public comments and instead focus on what was said in private strategy sessions, according to a GOP

Aanestad has the backing of U.S. Rep. Tom McClintock, R-Granite Bay. Former state Sen. Sam Aanestad on Tuesday made it official — he's running for the congressional seat being vacated by outgoing U.S. Rep. Wally Herger. Though no official news statements

Sam Aanestad, the two-term former state senator who represented Shasta and surrounding counties from 2002 to 2010, wasn't always the most popular man up in these parts. He won office not least thanks to a 2001 gerrymandering trick that put his Grass Vall

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Former Republican Sen. Sam Aanestad has decided to enter the race for a vacant Northern California congressional seat, setting the stage for a same-party showdown with Republican Sen. Doug LaMalfa. Aanestad's newly retained campaign spokesman, former Cal

Former state Sen. Sam Aanestad is going to run for the congressional seat left vacant by outgoing U.S. Rep. Wally Herger. Though no official press statements have been released, Aanestad plans to make an official announcement some time soon, Clark said.

Staff Writer he believes he's the best candidate to do that." Sam Aanestad, center, shown with Assemblyman Dan Logue at a jobs summit in Chico in 2009, will take on Doug LaMalfa in a battle for Wally Herger's congressional seat in the June primary. GRASS

GRASS VALLEY — Sam Aanestad has formed what he calls "an exploratory committee" as he weighs the wisdom of running for Congress. exploratory committee said it's sometimes called a "testing-the-waters committee," he said. Having such a committee would all

Leading Off: Arizona Rep. Paul Gosar asked House candidate Paul Babeu to run in his home district as far back as the fall in order to avoid a Republican primary, both campaigns confirm to POLITICO. [S]he pleaded guilty in 2010 to a misdemeanor count of f

Sam Aanestad, a 65-year-old former state senator and assemblyman from Penn Valley, said Tuesday he's pondering jumping into the race for the congressional seat to be left vacant by retiring U.S. Rep. Wally Herger. Aanestad, a Republican, told the Record

Former Republican Sen. Sam Aanestad is weighing a run for the Northern California congressional seat being vacated by retiring GOP Rep. Wally Herger. The Penn Valley Republican said he learned of Herger's decision after returning home from Mexico, where