Have you experienced a real congressional campaign?

[rob in cal]

Growing up in California's 16th district, I had never experienced an actual, traditional campaign, as we know it today, for our congressional seat, since it is a safe seat and the GOP never expends effort to try to win it.  The only time there was a fight for it was after I had moved away, when Congressman Panetta vacated the seat to become Clinton's chief of staff.
   By that time I had moved the Bay Area, to Tom Lantos's seat in San Mateo county.  Again, I never saw any indication of a real campaign, by him or his opponent during the 1990's.  I was becoming conditioned to the idea that active campaigns with door knocking, commercials etc was for governor, senate or proposition campaigns, but never for a house seat.
   This pattern continued when I moved to the 4th district east of Sacramento, where in the 2000's Doolittle would win easily, with no real campaigning either. 
   Imagine my shock and wonder when due to Doolittle's scandals, I experienced two actual real campaigns for a house seat, the elections of 2006 (where Doolittle narrowly held the seat), and that of 2008, which saw that unique phenomena for Northern California, an actual open seat caused by the incumbent not running for reelection.  In 2008 my family and I witnessed increidible scenes from that historical election.  We saw lawn signs, actual lawn signs for congressional candidates.  Until 2006 I don't believe I had ever seen a lawn sign for house election.  In 2008 we received lots of expensive mailers during the Mcclintock Ose primary and then in the general election as well.  2008 was special as well with both a hotly contested primary and hotly contested general election.  I also experienced meeting with actual street canvassers for Brown the democratic candidate. I had never met a street canvasser for a congressional candidate in California ever before.  Truly remarkable.
    2010 saw a return to normalcy without a vibrant campaign, as Mcclintock was easily reelected, and I don't know when I will again experience something so unusual as an actual contested California house election.  Having seen it happen for once in my life, I know that it is possible for it to happen again, that California too can experience this weird democratic exercise where there is an actual campaign for a house seat.  Maybe in 2030 I'll experience it again.
Anyway, I wonder if anyone else out there has had a similar experience of  moving into an area where all of a sudden there is an actual race where before they lived in safe seat areas.