Mitchum’s Biggest Role Yet?

For one of the first times this century, the congressional race to represent the Central Coast might be just that ​— ​a race. During the first decade of the 2000s, the district was so gerrymandered that Democrats had about 22 percent more registered voters than Republicans did; it was dubbed the “Ribbon of Shame,” a narrow strip that stretched along the coast from Oxnard to Monterey. But since California redrew its congressional map a few years ago, the Dems now make up 37.5 percent of voters, just 3.4 percent more than Republicans. The rule of thumb is that a party needs a 5 percent or more advantage to be safe in an election.

Distinctive this year is that it’s a midterm election, and with a lackluster gubernatorial race, voter turnout is expected to be low. That’s cause for concern for Representative Lois Capps, an unwavering Democrat who has represented the region since 1998. A longtime Santa Barbara resident and former school nurse, Capps won a special election after her husband, Walter Capps, suddenly died while in office. She defended her seat in a general election later that year and has been jetting to and from D.C. ever since.

In her eight victories, just three were considered competitive, based largely on the district’s demographics. Even so, in 2012, she crushed her Republican challenger Abel Maldonado ​— ​former lieutenant governor and Santa Maria mayor ​— ​by 9 percentage points.