Hunter's son to run for dad's seat

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Duncan Duane Hunter's goal of winning the San Diego-area congressional seat that his father will vacate after 14 terms has one new, major obstacle: He probably won't be able to campaign personally.

Mr. Hunter, a 30-year-old Marine who has served two tours in Iraq, last week was recalled to active duty and expects to be in Iraq or Afghanistan when the election to replace his father, Republican presidential aspirant Rep. Duncan Hunter, occurs.

But regardless of where his April 15 deployment orders send the artilleryman, he's still committed to running and representing his father's longtime constituents.

"In fact it makes me want to run more than ever," Mr. Hunter said. "It seems like nobody is listening right now to the conservative side of the war debate. I'm sure a lot of people think they're speaking the truth when they talk about [the war], but they don't have the experience."

Mr. Hunter said growing up he had no ambition to follow the career path of his father, one of the most conservative members of Congress over the past quarter-century.

"I'd help my dad out with his campaigns, but I didn't like politics," he said. "I mean, most pastors' kids don't become pastors -- they end up doing something totally different."

But while serving in Fallujah, Iraq, in 2004, Mr. Hunter said he had a political epiphany.

"It was in Iraq when I kind of decided then I'd like to keep serving [my country] in a different capacity after my tour was up," he said. "I kind of had a change of heart about serving in politics."

Mr. Hunter will enjoy the advantage of sharing a name with his father, who won re-election in November with 65 percent of the vote.

"His dad is very popular -- he was going to hold that seat for as long as we wanted," said Tony Krvaric, chairman of the Republican Party of San Diego County. "So his son's name recognition is huge. He'll get by default a lot of votes from people that don't pay attention much to politics and think they're voting for his father."