Incumbent Rep. Sam Farr, D-Carmel, who by now is used to the
campaign trail, found it an easy journey Tuesday on his way to a
fifth term in Congress.
Incumbent Rep. Sam Farr, D-Carmel, who by now is used to the campaign trail, found it an easy journey Tuesday on his way to a fifth term in Congress.
With all precincts reporting at 4:49 a.m., Farr led the four-way race for the 17th Congressional District with 87,637 votes, or 68 percent. Republican Clint Engler was Farr’s closest challenger with 35,000 votes, or 27.1 percent.
Green Party candidate Ray Glock-Grueneich gathered 4,335 votes (3.3 percent) and Libertarian Jascha Lee got 2,070 votes (1.6 percent).
Voters in the 17th District, which includes San Benito and Monterey counties and part of Santa Cruz County, were apparently not impressed with Engler, who never mounted a substantial campaign, Farr said.
“I look forward to representing the 17th Congressional District,” he said. “I invite people to contact me, particularly in education and visiting schools. I want to be accessible to everyone. I’m pleased they asked me to serve another two years and I look forward to being a good public servant.”
Farr received 62.9 percent of the San Benito County vote (6,284 votes) to Engler’s 33.7 percent (3,370). Farr received 47,230 votes (64.8 percent) in his base Monterey County while in Santa Cruz County he garnered 34,123 votes (74 percent).
“I think California is struggling to get its fair share of federal expenditures,” Farr said. “With 12 percent of the state’s revenue that goes to the federal government and with 12 percent of the nation’s population, we don’t get that much money back.”
Farr said he would like to help the area’s struggling economy through sustainable agriculture and a boost for tourism.
He said the area’s biggest industries are agriculture, education and tourism and that he would like help those industries grow to increase the economy of the area.
During his two terms, Farr has promoted what he calls the “three e’s” – environment, education and the economy of the region. He recently lobbied for the federal organic standards, which were implemented last month.
During his service in Washington, D.C. and Sacramento, Farr noted that $65 million in defense conversion funds were accessed to build California State University, Monterey Bay at the forner Fort Ord military base near Seaside and 7,960 acres were added to Pinnacles National Monument.
Farr served six terms – 12 years – in the state Assembly before being appointed to Congress in 1993 to replace Leon Panetta, who that year became Chief of Staff to President Bill Clinton. Farr was elected to his first full term in Congress in 1994.
