While the Presidential race is getting all of the press, it’s the Congressional races that are quietly shaping up to be clashes of the century. This is the first part of a semester-long series on important Congressional elections to follow closely this year.

In 2010, California instituted a new redistricting policy that gave the blank map of the Golden State to a bipartisan board of commissioners and said “Go.” The result has left a mad scramble for Congressional seats, pitting incumbents of the same party against each other as they campaign for their slightly adjusted seat against a colleague who was bumped out, or clash over an entirely new lucrative district that was smashed together once the dust settled.

With that, let’s start local.

Representative Janice Hahn

One of the biggest incumbent vs. incumbent races, the contest for California’s 44th district, pits newcomer Democratic Rep. Janice Hahn–who inherited the seat in a special election after Rep. Jane Herman left in February to become the head of the Wilson Center for International Scholars in DC–against slightly-less-of-a-newcomer Democratic Rep. Laura Richardson–who inherited the seat ALSO in a special election after Rep. Juanita Millender-McDonald tragically passed away in the summer of 2007.

The race is in the newly formed CA-44 district, which is in the South LA area (think Compton and Long Beach). The area will surely be a safely Democratic area for at least another decade, largely due to the racial makeup of the area – it is 49 percent Latino and 28 percent Black. Both constituencies traditionally vote Democratic, especially in urban areas. Whomever wins this election could very possible serve the entire rest of the decade comfortably if they choose to do so.

Representative Laura Richardson

As of the New Year, Rep. Hahn has raised $1.77 million, boasting over 40,000 dollars from EMILY’s list (a pro-choice women’s advocacy group with the stated goal of electing pro-choice women to Congress). Comparatively, Rep. Richardson has raised only 307,000 dollars in the same amount of time, with no donation topping 5,000 dollars (note: neither figure includes PAC money).

This lack of funds for Rep. Richardson may stem from a series of ethical probes in the last several months, relating to the possible use of illegal staffers. In Washington, Hill staffers cannot work on the campaign. Richardson allegedly had her staffers do just that. In response to the probes, Richardson has angrily accused the House Ethics Committee of going after her because she is African-American.

Endorsements on the Hill are going mainly toward Hahn. She has the support of Rep. Napolitano and Garamendi, as well as a slough of State and Local elected officials, even more Community Leaders and Labor unions, as well as the coveted State Democratic Party’s endorsement.

That being said, you can’t count Rep. Richardson out just yet. Due to the new ‘Top Two” primary system in California, it is the top two vote getters that move on to the general election, regardless of party. That means that it’s more than likely that Rep. Richardson and Rep. Hahn will face off soon in the Spring, and again in the Fall. There’s still a long road ahead of the two Democrats before either can declare victory.

Quinn Chasan is a junior government major at CMC. Last semester, he worked as an intern on the Hill as part of the Washington Program. Being Jewish, he's always right. Before you take issue with the above article, remember that fact. Then call him or email him @ QChasan13@cmc.edu