Condit to Seek Reelection, Aides Say

Most pollsters and pundits have written him off. His hometown newspapers have urged him to quit. But Rep. Gary Condit is evidently proceeding with plans to seek reelection, in what would be the roughest campaign of his 30 years in politics.

As the Ceres Democrat stays out of sight during Congress’ summer recess, aides have declared his intention to seek an eighth term next year and say he plans to host his big annual fund-raising bash this fall.

The moves come as police work continues in the disappearance of Chandra Levy, a Washington intern from Condit’s Central Valley district. After aides first denied that the congressman had a romantic relationship with Levy, police said Condit has since admitted one. He has been repeatedly questioned by police, though investigators said the married lawmaker is not a suspect.

Politically, though, Condit’s standing has plunged amid allegations of that and other extramarital dalliances and efforts to cover up his conduct. Democrats have distanced themselves from Condit, and Levy’s parents continue to accuse the congressman of failing to help find their daughter.

“I see a man going on with his smiles and videotaped in the media going from his congressional meetings with his fake political smile,” Levy’s mother, Susan, said Wednesday night on CNN. “And just the political action does not match a person who says that they really want to help you out.”

Even as he remains hidden, plans are underway for Condit to break his near-total public silence and address the Levy matter, perhaps by the end of the month. He issued a statement Sunday after the Fresno Bee and Modesto Bee printed editorials demanding his resignation. The two newspapers followed the Ceres Courier, Condit’s weekly hometown paper.

“It is terribly unfair and disappointing that the Bee would have come to any decision about me without first allowing the investigation to continue and hearing what I have to say,” Condit said in a written statement. He promised to present his side “very soon.”

In the meantime, seeking to dispel doubts about his political future, Condit’s chief congressional aide appeared on CNN on Monday and stated his boss’ intention to seek reelection next year.

Chief of Staff Mike Lynch declined to answer questions about the nature of Condit’s relationship with Levy, saying the focus should be on finding the 24-year-old woman. He had no further comment Thursday. Separately, Condit aides have confirmed plans to proceed with his annual “Condit Country” barbecue, an Oct. 20 fund-raiser scheduled for the Stanislaus County Fairgrounds in Turlock.

Condit’s moves may be less definitive than defensive; observers suggested that Condit may have acted merely to preserve his options and give himself more time to assess the political situation before deciding whether to run again.

Aside from the scandal, there are two factors that could figure into Condit’s considerations. One is how his political home turf will be shaped by redistricting, which is the once-a-decade redrawing of political lines to account for population shifts. The other question is who will run against Condit. For all his political problems, Republicans have yet to recruit a top-tier candidate willing to challenge the veteran, once-popular lawmaker.

Condit has represented the area in some political capacity for nearly 30 years. He was elected to the Ceres City Council at age 24 and subsequently served on the Stanislaus County Board of Supervisors and in the state Assembly before being elected to Congress in 1989.

Condit was elected in a special election called to replace former Rep. Tony Coelho of Modesto, who resigned in the face of ethics allegations. Though the prevailing wisdom holds that Condit is effectively dead politically, not everyone doubts his capacity to stage a comeback.

“It may be that a stick could beat Gary Condit next year,” said Amy Walter, who analyzes House races for the nonpartisan Cook Political Report. “But before we talk about how vulnerable he is, we have to ask where’s the [Levy] story going to be a year from now, and how long are people’s memories? We’ve seen time and again in politics what seems like a huge issue or major scandal turn out not to be as big in the long run.”