I am able to confirm that the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee ( DCCC) has talked to Simi Valley political consultant Jim Dantona about running to represent the 24th congressional district.

Add his name to a growing list of potential challengers that include Shawn Stern, Tim Allison , Marie Panec, Mary Pallant, Jill Martinez, and Marta Jorgenson. If I see candidates start spending money I will assume that we have a sharks smelling blood scenario where they either think Rep. Gallegly is going to retire or they think he is beatable. It would be great if Rep. Gallegly pledged to announce his plans far enough ahead to give candidates of both parties the time they need to assemble their campaigns.

The last time locally I saw the sharks come out is when Peter Foy and Jim Dantona ran against an incumbent county supervisor.

 Jim Dantona ran a really close and contested race for county supervisor against Peter Foy, after both of them beat the incumbent in the primary. Campaigns for county supervisor are officially nonpartisan but by the end it was clear what parties they belonged to because of the many mailers that went out labeling themselves and each other.

The Simi Valley/Moorpark based 4th district has an overwhelming Republican registration advantage and Jim Dantona was able to keep the final results really close.

The 24th congressional district voted for Barack Obama for president. There is no denying that a campaign against a long term incumbent like Rep. Gallegly would normally strongly favor the incumbent. But when this becomes an open seat that is a whole different scenario.

Click here for Jim Dantona's website for his political consulting firm.

Click on continue reading for a press release from the DCCC going after Rep. Elton Gallegly.

Now for another poll: