Well respected conservative and businessman Bill Simon has quietly told his supporters that he has decided not to run for California State Treasurere in 2006 (props to Dan Weintraub, who broke this news).
An excerpt of the letter from Simon to his supporters said:
As you know, Simon was the GOP nominee for Governor in 2002, and was bested by incumbent Democrat Governor Gray Davis, who went on to famously (or infamously) be recalled by California voters. Simon, a well-though-out intellectual conservative was genreally considered not-ready-for-prime-time when he began his campaign for Governor. But everyone agrees that Simon really grew into a fine candidate, improving in every area from public speaking ability, to networking skills, and more. Thus, his bid for Treasurer was seen by all as a great opportunity for the GOP.
Simon was considered the easy front-runner for the GOP nomination for Treasurer. His absence from the field leaves to much less well known candidates, for now. One candidate is termed-out Assemblyman Keith Richman of the San Fernando Valley, the other is Board of Equalization Member Claude Parrish.
ASSEMBLYMAN KEITH RICHMAN – FRINGE CANDIDATE.
Richman is a very controversial figure within the Republican Party — he represents an extreme leftward fringe element of the Party. He recently reminded folks how out of the GOP mainstream he is with his personal opposition to Proposition 73 (as reported by FR Blogger Mike Spence here). Richman was one of few GOP elected officials to support the recent Open Primary measure that was defeated by California voters. Richman will undoubtedly try to seize an opportunity here to lobby the Governor for support. But Richman makes the Terminator look like Jesse Helms. Richman voted against the Governor’s budget – which in and of itself isn’t a bad thing (while I like and respect this Governor, he introduced a budget that, in my opinion, was like starting the ball on your own 10 yard line) – the problem is that Richman’s reason for opposing the budget — it didn’t raise revenues (ie…no new taxes). This from a REPUBLICAN legislator?
CLAUDE PARRISH – AWKWARD AND UNDEFINABLE
The other ersatz Treasurer is none other than Claude Parrish. Ever heard of him? If you haven’t, don’t feel too bad. Not only is he in an obscure office (he has been an elected member of the State Board of Equalization for the past six years), but Claude is hardly what we would call a memorable character. Socially awkward at best, Parrish hardly has the charisma to wage an effective statewide campaign for Treasurer. He has an additional challenge as well, his ‘reputation on the street’ is that he is one of those politicians that does the right thing ‘when everyone is looking’ but that he does not have an overriding guiding philosophical dedication to the idea of a limited role for government. This story is …developing… as the FR delves more closely into Parrish’s voting record. One thing is certain, as a GOP officeholder for six years, Parrish has made no inroads in reaching out to Republican grassroots organizations…
THE BOTTOM LINE:
When State Attorney General Bill Lockyer decided to leave the Gubernatorial primary to self-funders Westly and Angelides, he ‘took’ with him to the Treasurer’s race a $10 million + war chest. He has the statewide ID that being the state’s top law enforcement official brings with it, and will be a tough opponent for anyone. I guarantee you that he is quite pleased with this news. That said, we are talking about a liberal activist whose views on many issues put him on the leftmost extreme of his own party. Add to this that Governor Schwarzenegger will be seeking re-election against a Democrat who will have just been through a bloody primary battle, and Lockyer becomes vulnerable.
The question is WHO will run against him. The FlashReport predicts that we will see another candidate or two join the currently-lackluster field. As to who that will be, that remains to be seen. Certainly the first glance will be to those current GOP candidates who are facing primaries in their races — Abel Maldonado, Tony Strickland, Steve Poizner, Phil Kurzner, Gary Mendoza, Pierre Prosper, to name just a few.
If you have any suggestions of candidates for the GOP nomination for Treasurer, let me know either with an e-mail or an anonymous tip!
We’ll see how all of this develops. But, I feel strongly that California is the ultimate loser for Simon’s tough personal decision. This state despirately needed his common sense, business prowess, and conservative fortitude in this office of Treasurer. We’ll be hard-pressed to find another nominee as capable and prepared as Bill would have been.
Jon
[Also, FR Blogger Mike Spence has posted on Simon’s departure.]