By Rachel Kapochunas, CQPolitics.com, August 31, 2007

31 Aug 2007 // Republican Rep. Jerry Lewis of California — who chaired the powerful Appropriations Committee prior to the Democrats’ House takeover and now holds the position of ranking Republican — will seek re-election next year in his strongly Republican-leaning 41st District, ending speculation that ethics issues might prompt the 15-term lawmaker to retire.

Lewis, who will turn 73 years old on Oct. 21, enters his re-election campaign as a solid favorite, based on his own political track record and the district’s voting history. The 41st — which incorporates most of San Bernardino County east of Los Angeles, including a region known as the Inland Empire — has a strongly conservative-leaning electorate that usually favors Republicans: Lewis was re-elected in 2006 by better than a 2-to-1 ratio, and President Bush, who lost California as a whole by a wide margin in 2004, was favored in the 41st by a 25 percentage-point margin.

“It has been a great honor for Arlene and I to serve the people of the Inland Empire in Congress over these many years,” Lewis said of himself and his wife in a statement released Friday. “The Appropriations Committee has been the highlight of our work and where I intend to continue to serve the people of the 41st Congressional District.”

Lewis first broke the news to supporters at a gathering in his district Thursday evening.

Lewis, who has generally avoided controversy over a House career of nearly three decades, has had to deflect some ethics questions over the past year. Reports that first emerged during his 2006 re-election campaign said a federal grand jury was investigating Lewis’ professional relationship with retired California Republican Rep. Bill Lowery, a lobbyist and close friend who hired several Lewis aides and their relatives while seeking favors in spending bills. Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington, a watchdog that mainly targets Republicans, called on Lewis to resign his position as ranking Republican on Appropriations, citing this situation.

Lewis has repeatedly denied wrongdoing, maintains he has no knowledge of an investigation and says he has not been personally contacted by the Justice Department. Still, nationally syndicated columnist Robert Novak, citing Republican insiders, reported in June that the ethics questions would prompt Lewis to retire — something the congressman’s office immediately refuted.

Part of the speculation was related to past damaging ethics controversies in the state of California, which included Republican Rep. Randy “Duke” Cunningham’s resignation in late 2005 after pleading guilty to accepting more than $2 million in bribes and the defeat in 2006 of Republican Rep. Richard W. Pombo after Democrats pounded him relentlessly with allegations of ties to convicted lobbyist Jack Abramoff and an overly cozy relationship with businesses with interests overseen by Pombo as then-chairman of the House Resources Committee.

Yet another California House Republican, John T. Doolittle, has faced scrutiny over his past ties to Abramoff, who was a client of the political consulting firm run by the congressman’s wife Julie. Doolittle surrendered his own seat on House Appropriations earlier this year after the FBI raided his home in Oakton, Va., where Julie Doolittle keeps an office.

These situations have some Democrats hoping that they can run an unusually strong challenge next year to Lewis, trumpeting the charge they leveled with some success during the 2006 elections that the Republicans had created a “culture of corruption” in Congress. Democratic attorney and party activist Tim Prince has said he’s strongly considering a challenge to Lewis.

But Prince has yet to file paperwork with the Federal Election Commission (FEC) to begin raising funds, while Lewis has been raising money in anticipation of another congressional bid and reported $932,000 on hand at the end of June. Though his party is now in the minority, Lewis’s senior position on Appropriations will significantly assist his fundraising efforts.

Nonetheless, any serious competition would be more than Lewis has endured in recent elections. No Democratic candidate ran against Lewis in 2004 and the 2006 nominee, Louie A. Contreras, never filed a campaign finance report with the FEC, something required for candidates who raise more than the minimal amount of $5,000.