In the Headlines

The seat now held by Republican Rep. Dan Lungren...was one of just six GOP-held seats to make the list. Lungren is being challenged by Democrat Ami Bera, an Elk Grove physician. 

Lungren is only one of three GOP incumbents on the list, but physician Ami Bera has earned this ranking because of his strong fundraising performance (he's consistently outraised Lungren) and his aggressive campaign.

U.S. Rep. Dan Lungren, R-Gold Beach, is a consummate political insider...Democratic challenger Dr. Ami Bera, of Elk Grove, has never held political office, but he has made the race competitive thanks to an aggressive fundraising push, support from the national Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee and an increasing number of Democrats in the district.

CBS-13 exposes Dan Lungren's double-dipping. 

We asked Meg Friday if she has a problem with former state AG Dan Lungren -- a Meg endorser -- pocketing a $55K state pension at the same time he's palming his U.S. Congressional salary. 

Lungren received a 25.9 percent raise in his final month as attorney general......It increased the maximum amount he could collect on his pension by more than $11,500 per year.

"We are angry with career politicians, but in this race, there's only one career politician, and that's Dan Lungren," said Bera, the former chief medical officer of Sacramento County and associate dean of admissions at UC Davis School of Medicine. 

Ami Bera, a first-time congressional candidate, campaigns along the tree-lined streets of the Sacramento suburb, toting a water bottle and shouldering the hopes of Democrats nationwide. There is more at stake than personal ambition: A victory could help his party keep control of the House. 

Dr. Bera on KOVR delivering a hands-free headset to Dan Lungren

Dr. Bera featured on a segment of MSNBC'S Hardball 

Physician Ami Bera, the Democratic contender for California’s 3rd district congressional seat, has outpaced his five-term congressional opponent Dan Lungren in fundraising, pulling in $1.6 million, mostly in individual contributions.

“This race continues to gain momentum,” Bera told India-West about his challenge to Lungren in the Nov. 2 general election. “We’ve got 1,800 people volunteering and walking precincts for a new type of leadership.”

In a Congressional vote yesterday that broke mostly along party lines, Congressman Dan Lungren, R- Gold River, voted against an extension of long-term unemployment.

"It is simply outrageous that, in the midst of the worst recession in recent history, Dan Lungren has shown the cold shoulder to Californians struggling to find work in this tough economy," said Dr. Bera.

Incumbency is a monumental obstacle to overcome for any political challenger.

But nine congressional challengers have managed to raise more money -- an average of about $640,000 -- than their incumbent rivals, a Center for Responsive Politics analysis found.

California House candidate Ami Bera (D) isn't expecting any help from Washington in his race against Rep. Dan Lungren (R-Calif). 

"We recognize [the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee] is going to be playing defense in a lot of races," Bera said in a conference call organized by the Indian American Leadership Initiative. "We're going to run the campaign we have to run." 

Ami Bera may be one of the Democrat's hottest prospects this year, but he offered some tough words for his party..."I'm not the candidate of Nancy Pelosi," Bera, a physician from Elk Grove, said in an interview. "If I thought the Democrats were doing the right job in this country with moving forward, I wouldn't be running. I'd be back practicing medicine." 

Although elections ultimately are decided at the ballot box, one measure of how well a candidate does at the ballot box is how effective they are in raising funds to wage a campaign. By this measure, Rep. Dan Lungren, R- Gold River, must be very concerned with the fundraising efforts of his Democrat opponent, Dr. Ami Bera, M.D., of Elk Grove. Bera recently announced that for the fifth straight quarter he beat career politician Lungren in the fundraising arena. For the most recent report, Bera reported he raised $230,000 this spring to Lungren’s $183,000.

Washington is taking note of Bera's success. 

Politico called Bera the Democrat's "star fundraiser." And National Journal noted that Lungren was the only GOP incumbent who trailed his challenger in second-quarter fundraising this year, calling Lungren "a perennially weak fundraiser." 

Bera is hoping that voters disgust with incumbents will apply to Lungren, a Republican from Gold River who has been in and out of office since 1978. 

"Voters are looking for something different," said Bera, who is making his first run for elective office. Bera, a physician who is a former dean of admissions at UC Davis' medical school, took a swipe at Lungren for recently voting with other Republicans against a new extension of unemployment benefits, while having voted to grant congressional pay raises in past years. 

Bera said that if he is elected, he would turn down pay raises as long as there is a federal budget deficit. 

Elk Grove resident Dr. Ami Bera has now raised more money in his bid for U.S. Congress than incumbent Rep. Dan Lungren (R-Gold River) for five consecutive quarters, and last week he went on the offensive.

Bera, a longtime physician and former Sacramento County medical official, has $1.1 million in cash on hand as of June 30, as compared to Lungren’s $800,000, according to the Federal Election Commission.

Indian American physician Ami Bera raised more money than California Republican Rep. Dan Lungren between April and June, making him the only Democratic challenger with more cash than a sitting Republican member of the House.

Bera is a longtime Sacramento doctor who has tapped deep-pocketed networks of Indian American and medical community donors to beat Lungren for the past five fundraising quarters, bringing in almost $230,000 this spring.