RICO OLLER LOOKS AT TREASURER BID?
Ever since last week’s bomb shell news that Bill Simon was dropping his bid for the GOP nomination for Treasurer, the FlashReport has been receiving a steady stream of e-mails and ‘anonymous tips’ on potential candidates to replace him in that primary. There is wide-spread disatisfaction with the remaining candidates in the field. Claude Parrish, a Board of Equalization Member from Southern California (and quite an odd fellow) has failed to ignite any enthusiasm for his campaign with six years to work a district covering a quarter of California’s voters. The other candidate in the primary, Keith Richman, is so far outside of the mainstream of Republican thought that he might almost be dismissed out of hand. His opposition to the Governor’s last budget because it didn’t raise taxes, his opposition to the parental notification initiative, and his strong support for the recent open primary measure are just a few of his extreme positions…
Simon will be missed as the principled, articulate candidate with a statewide network. However, the latest rumor out there (we will ‘define’ rumor as the FR getting over six different ‘tips’ on this) is that retired State Senator Rico Oller (from Gold Country) is seriously contemplating a run for the GOP nomination for Treasurer. Oller would immediately become a front-runner in this race. He has a statewide following, high name-ID in the Sacramento Area (he lost a high-profile primary for Congress) and has been very successful in business (ie…he can seed his campaign with some initial bucks. We will see how this develops over the coming weeks, and whether any other candidates come to the fore, given the weak bench for the GOP in this race.
I’m sure Bill Lockyer and his $10,000,000 war chest are waiting to take Richman or Parrish — he couldn’t wish for weaker candidates. Will the GOP rise to the occasion, and rally behind a standard bearer that can deliver the base in November?
ARNIE STEINBERG – VETERAN POLLSTER
With the last minute flurry of polls coming out, I reached out to my good friend, Arnie Steinberg. Arnie has been in the polling business for … well, forever! Arnie and I both share our roots in 
conservative youth activism in Young Americans for Freedom. Over the years, I have depending on Arnie, as a friend, to give me insights into polling. I discovered that Arnie had a lot to say. I do not always agree with Arnie’s conclusions, but I always give weight to them because he head is ‘wired right’ and he always has unique insights. You can read what he has to say in the lead story on the FR today (don’t shoot the messenger if some of his conclusions aren’t what you want to hear — and be conforted that while Arnie is right-on sometimes, he also is wrong sometimes).
FLASHREPORT FEATURED IN CLUB FOR GROWTH SLATE CARD
This year, for the first time, the California Club for Growth has put out an 11×17 mailing to 500,000 households in California. The piece features a mix of ballot advocacy and conservative, free-market articles. One of the articles is written by Yours Truly, and also features a pitch for the FlashReport! We’ll be featuring this piece tomorrow — but you may see it in your mailbox! A BIG FR thank you to the CA CLUB FOR GROWTH who reached out and asked for my participation, and also props to my friends and fellow travelers Brian Park and Darin Henry, without whom this would not have happenned! Hopefully we will welcome many more readers to the thousands who enjoy the FlashReport!
GOP ENDORSEMENTS IN LOCAL RACES
Don’t miss this fabulous blog entry from FR’s Inland Empire Correspondent Brad Mitzelfelt. I have always been a big fan and strong advocate of political parties weighing into so-called non-partisan
races. Frankly, I think that all local races should be partisan. It is hard enough for voters to understand what candidates stand for — being able to understand something basic, like which political party they choose to affiliate themselves with, can give a voter insight into their local candidate. And there is NO SUCH THING as a non-partisan office — the core political principles espoused by each political party are easily applicable at every level of government.
Take care,
Jon
PS: Keep the tips and observations coming – click here to send me an email, either attributable or anonymously.