Redrawn political maps could put McKeon in a race against Gallegly

WASHINGTON — Howard "Buck" McKeon has known Elton Gallegly longer than he has known life as a member of Congress.

Gallegly was the first congressman McKeon ever met. The two Republicans were introduced at a fundraiser in the late 1980s, when Gallegly was a relatively new House member and McKeon was several years away from launching his own bid for Congress.

When McKeon finally landed in Washington as a newly elected member of the House, Gallegly gave him a ride from the airport to the hotel and helped him get settled into his room. Practically neighbors in California, they stayed in touch, socialized occasionally at political functions and sometimes worked together on issues of mutual interest.

"I wouldn't say we're close friends," McKeon said, describing their relationship. "In this place, you don't have time to establish real friendships. When your work is done, you go home and work in the district. But he and his wife and my wife (and I) have had a good relationship over the years."

Newly redrawn congressional districts are putting that relationship to the test — and may turn the veteran lawmakers into uncomfortable political rivals.

Gallegly's house in Simi Valley was thrown into McKeon's district when an independent commission drew up new congressional maps last year. The new boundaries raise the possibility the two lawmakers could end up running against each other in this year's GOP primary.

The contest is not a given. Gallegly could decide to call it quits and retire after 26 years in Congress. He could choose to seek re-election in his current congressional district, even though he no longer lives there. Or he could roll the dice and run against McKeon, a seemingly difficult path, given that McKeon already represents 80 percent of the new district and has for years.

Gallegly isn't saying what he will do.

"Stay tuned," he said recently in response to questions about his plans.

But McKeon said he has met with Gallegly to discuss the race and walked away with the sense that Gallegly is going to run against him.

"It's a tough situation for Elton," McKeon said. "He's unhappy with the way redistricting went, and I think he's having a hard time deciding what he's going to do. But I got the feeling he was running.

"He has told other people that he's running, and I got a pretty strong indication he was running. That's where his home is, and he said he's going to run where his home is."

McKeon, who lives in Santa Clarita, already has started to gear up for the race. He has hired a campaign manager and has started the process of introducing himself to the people of Simi Valley, who may not be all that familiar with him despite his nearly two decades in Congress. He recently attended a breakfast meeting held by the Simi Valley Chamber of Commerce and has met with others in the area.

"I'll be coming over there more often to meet people," he said

McKeon said he stayed out of Simi Valley for a while to give Gallegly some space while he makes his decision.

"But," he said, "I can't wait anymore. I want to get out there and start meeting people and let them know I'll be working hard to earn their support and, if I'm elected, I'll be working hard to represent them."

A few personal facts about McKeon for those who aren't acquainted with his biography: He's 73, comes from a family that operated a chain of Western wear stores and was chosen as the first mayor of Santa Clarita when the city was incorporated in 1987.

A social and fiscal conservative, he was first elected to Congress in 1992 and currently serves as chairman of the House Armed Services Committee, a powerful position that puts him in charge of funding and oversight of the Pentagon and the armed forces.

McKeon represents California's 25th Congressional District, which takes in Santa Clarita, most of the Antelope Valley, parts of Santa Bernardino County and all of Inyo and Mono counties. In the newly redrawn district, he will lose Inyo and Mono counties and pick up all of Simi Valley except a small northwestern portion of the city.

McKeon concedes he's not really familiar with Simi Valley, but said he suspects it's not all that different from Santa Clarita. Both are fairly conservative communities. His wife, Patricia, is running for state Assembly in the new 38th Assembly District, which includes Simi Valley.

McKeon knows that, should Gallegly decide to run against him, persuading Simi Valley residents to vote for him instead of the congressman who has represented them for nearly 26 years will be a hard sell. Most of them will probably vote for Gallegly, McKeon concedes.

"We've done a poll, and Elton — he was the mayor out there, people like him," McKeon said. "I think most of them will vote for Elton. Some of them will probably vote for me. When you're in this business for a while, you get some people who are unhappy with you. The people who are unhappy with him will probably vote for me. But that's not a big number. And I think the same thing happens in the part of the district I represent.

"The difference is the part of the district I (currently) represent is about 80 percent. Simi is about 20 percent. If it were reversed, I would think Elton would have a huge advantage. The way it is, I think I have a huge advantage."

Naval Base Ventura County sits outside his new congressional district, but McKeon described it as "a great resource" that could be seriously impacted if Congress follows through with plans for more than $1 trillion in cuts to the defense budget over the next decade.

The Obama administration wants to trim $489 billion from the military budget over the next 10 years. Also, $500 billion in automatic cuts are scheduled to kick in beginning in January 2013 because of failure by a congressional "supercommittee" to reach a deal to cut the federal budget deficit.

McKeon recently filed legislation to postpone the first round of the automatic cuts until 2014. The cuts would be devastating for the military, he warned, and could lead to another round of base realignment and closings.

"Any base needs to be very concerned," McKeon said, "because we're probably looking at possibly another BRAC, and it would be very consequential."