Sandra Fluke, the women’s rights activist who found herself in the national spotlight back in 2012 thanks to Rush Limbaugh’s decision to call her a “slut” for daring to advocate for Obamacare contraception coverage, is considering a bid for Henry Waxman’s soon-to-be-available congressional seat in California. Here’s the Washington Post with the latest on a possible bid:
Fluke has filed with the California state Democratic Party to seek its endorsement in the race for retiring Rep. Henry Waxman’s (D-Calif.) seat, according to the state party Web site. … Fluke hasn’t officially announced her campaign or filed with the Federal Election Commission, and she didn’t immediately return a request for comment. But filing for the state party’s endorsement means she’s now officially part of the process.
Fluke’s people are stressing that filing for the endorsement isn’t the same as launching a campaign—but it’s difficult to imagine a situation where she lands the state party’s endorsement next month and decides to stay on the sidelines of the race. Assuming she does run, her name recognition will likely be a boon to her campaign coffers but it remains to be seen whether her national profile will prove more popular with California voters than the local ones of other candidates, like former Los Angeles mayoral finalist Wendy Greuel and state Sen. Ted Lieu.
**Follow @JoshVoorhees and the rest of the @slatest team on Twitter.***
