The race for the GOP nomination for Attorney General is taking on a high profile for not having really started yet. Chuck Poochigian, who has spent many years working for Republican candidate and causes
, worked as a senior-level appointee to Governor Wilson, served in the Assembly and currently in the State Senate, has really seen his years of hard work pay off in the form of many endorsements. Of course, this is also CALIFORNIA where the GOP has a big challenge winning statewide 
office. So with someone as able as Poochigian willing to run, and run hard, its no wonder he has raised big bucks, and really cemented early status as a virtual nominee.
Back on October 5, my commentary centered around a San Francisco Chronicle Story that Richard Pierre Prosper, a war-crimes prosecutor in the Bush Administration, was looking at moving out to California (where he lived for many years, while in school and working a few years beyond that) — and throwing his hat into the ring for the GOP AG nomination. Soon after, Brandon Powers, the State Chairman of Young Americans for Freedom released a stinging letter attacking the still-unknown Prosper.
Yesterday, the Poochigian campaign released a letter (which is attached below) and issued a press release:
Concerning Republican Race for Attorney General
Today, Senate Republican Leader Dick Ackerman and Assembly Republican Leader Kevin McCarthy released the following statement expressing their views and support of Chuck Poochigian for California Attorney General:
"Our friend and colleague, Chuck Poochigian, is running for Attorney General and the two of us are joining to make very clear the complete and unequivocal support Chuck has amongst his fellow Republican legislators.
"Every single Republican State Senator and State Assemblymember has endorsed Chuck for Attorney General – and for good reason. Chuck is an exceptional leader for whom respect crosses party lines. His policy reach, valued negotiating skills and committed principles have been anchors in both our houses.
"With the challenging statewide races facing us next year, all of us were eager for Chuck to run for Attorney General – a position which is second in influence and importance only to the Governor. His well-honed political skills, his lifetime commitment to our party, and his proven fund-raising abilities bring to the campaign a formidable candidate."
This e-mail certainly serves as a reminder to all that Poochigian enjoys support from the entire spectrum of the party, given the unanimous endorsements of all of California’s Republican state legislators…
Elizabeth Blackney of the Prosper Campaign sent me the following prepared statement…
"It’s good to be back in California full time. As you know, this week I filed a Statement of Intent for the Office of Attorney General. I have great respect for the distinguished service of Senator Charles Poochigian, he is a good man. I look forward to a focused campaign on security issues important to the State of California, in particular, gangs, drugs, terrorists and porous borders. On these, and many other critical efforts, it is important we all work together to improve the quality of life for Californians. The Governor is making every effort to achieve this goal and to pass reforms that will benefit our state. I support him in his efforts and believe Governor Schwarzenegger needs all resources at his disposal to achieve this goal. Therefore, for my part, I will wait until after the Special Election to begin my fundraising drive in California."
– Pierre-Richard Prosper, fmr Ambassador-at-Large for War Crimes Issues
My personal belief is that vibrant primaries are good for the party, and good for the candidates. That said, one thing is certain – Ken Khachigan knows how to run and win a primary. As Poochigian’s senior strategist, he will continue to spend the next couple of weeks ‘throwing the gauntlet’ down in front of Prosper, and try to dissuade him from running. We’ll see how that works. I know that Chuck is a great guy – very energetic, resilient and driven. If Prosper is expecting Poochigian to be an easy mark, he is sorely miscalculating the depthy of support for this Central Valley legislator.
Factoid: Did you know that Ken Khachigan played an instrumental role in the existance of the FlashReport? It’s true…
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In another race, I see that the California Young Republicans Board unanimously endorsed Assemblyman Keith Richman for Treasurer. I wonder if this group is issuing a strong statement against the parental consent measure?
Take care,
Jon
PS: **If you missed my commentary yesterday on Barbara Boxer’s new novel, or my criticism of the President raising money for the RNC from California donors right before our special, click here**