The Political Landscape:

Assemblyman Van Tran’s campaign said this week that he raised $250,000 this quarter for his upcoming race for Congress against incumbent Rep. Loretta Sanchez in 2010.

Candidates for the office had to report the money they earned between April 1 and June 30 by midnight Wednesday, so official numbers for Tran and Sanchez were not available by the Pilot’s deadline.

Hours before the deadline, however, Sanchez’s campaign declined to comment on how much they had raised during the period or on Tran’s chances in the election. According to past state reports, Sanchez raised $100,000 last quarter and has $518,000 cash on hand.

“By out-raising nearly all congressional challengers, most incumbent members of Congress and open-seat contenders, the Tran campaign has become an immediate threat to the incumbent, all within the first six weeks,” according to a statement released by the Tran campaign.

“We believe that this district is extremely competitive,” said Tran consultant Jeff Roe.

While his campaign is working to exude confidence in what could be considered a long shot for Tran (Sanchez, a 13-year congresswoman, beat her last Republican opponent by more than a 40% margin in her mostly Latino, mostly Democratic district encompassing Santa Ana, Garden Grove, Fullerton and Anaheim), some have other impressions.

The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee is touting a form that Tran filed last week with the secretary of state for a committee to run for state senate in 2012 as evidence that Tran thinks he can’t win the Congressional seat and is hedging his bets.

“With the revelation that in the midst of a competitive Congressional campaign, Van Tran filed to run for a different office, Van Tran owes Orange County voters an explanation,” said Andy Stone, Western Regional Press Secretary for the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee in a statement released Tuesday. “With his well-deserved reputation for job-shopping, Van Tran sure is working to keep his resume polished.”

Tran has no intention to run for senate in 2012, though, Roe said. The committee just had to do a report by law because Tran formed it when he was considering a run for state senate before he had committed to running for Congress.

It’s common practice, Roe said, pointing out that Sanchez has a committee to run for governor in 2010.