Santa Clarita the new political hot spot

Mitt Romney was in Valencia in May for a private fundraiser and fellow Republican presidential hopeful Rudy Giuliani followed last week. Judy O'Rourke in the Daily News.

In between, a local woman hosted a neighborhood party for John Edwards' supporters, with the candidate taking part via conference call.

Santa Clarita, for some reason, has become a stop on the campaign trail in one of the most exciting presidential elections in decades.

Some say it's because Santa Clarita is now among the state's vote-rich, dollar-rich Republican enclaves — though the Democrats' influence is gaining in town.

As baby boomers and others have moved from the core of Los Angeles into the suburbs, politicians have followed, said Rep. Howard P. "Buck" McKeon, R-Santa Clarita.

"Here in our district we see an educated citizenry who are active and involved in kitchen table topics such as immigration, economy, gas prices, education and health care," said McKeon, who was the city's first mayor nearly 20 years ago. "Because of this and because of the influence the area now has, it only makes sense for our community to be on the 'campaign route' per se."