Fresno Mayor Alan Autry is a friend of mine, but his politics are all over the board. In this election cycle, he is at odds with the Fresno County GOP and the Lincoln Club over his endorsement of left wing Sheriff Candidate Margaret Mims, and his support of the infrastructure bonds, which if passed and issued will plunge California into the fiscal abyss once again.

Sources tell me that the Mayor was an uninvited guest, and while those in attendance to get out the vote were cordial, there was a healthy bit of tension during the day, and he was quite deliberately left off of of the official program when dignitaries such and Tom McClintock and Chuck Poochigian were introduced.

Mayor, you’re a great guy – but the grassroots base of the local Party isn’t too happy with you right now. Being tone deaf in an election year isn’t smart politics, especially if you have future political ambitions.… Read More

I checked in earlier with Steve Poizner as he is doing his campaigning around the state. Our next Insurance Commissioner had this report:

“Hi Jon,

Thanks for checking in with me today. Here’s what I have been doing in the last couple of days:

1. Met with silicon valley business leadersat the annual Silicon Valley Leadership Group policy luncheon and discussed key policy priorities for 2007.

2. Visited Victory 2006 office in silicon valley to thank the volunteers

3. Interviewed with the AP and the New York Times

4. visited with parent leaders of after school athletic programs in the central valley

5. called into radio talk shows in LA, Fresno, and San Diego

Lots of radio interviews set for the next couple of days.

Hope you are having fun on the bus!

Steve”

Go get ’em Steve. Cruz Bustamante is TOAST!… Read More

My brother has been offsetting my votes for GOP candidates for a long time now. But Rick did vote for Tom McClintock for Controller a few years back. Will he do it again?

I don’t know if my liberal brother from San Francisco would consider another vote for Tom this year – but it won’t be for lack of trying. Senator McClintock just got off of the phone with Rick, and we’ll see how it goes. I guess that’s one advantage of blogging with the candidates for a couple of days – personal GOTV calls to family and friends!… Read More

The crowd is packed here University Town Center Victory ’06 HQ in San Diego, where volunteers have been making phone calls to Republican voters.

This location is under the care and feeding of local V6 stagger Josh Groden and Chris Anderson with the Governor’s Campaign, who definately have been hard at work. On hand here is Todd Cranney who coordinates this whole region for the V6 program.

Ok. So on this stop, both of our Statewide candidates spoke an length to the volunteers:

TM: “There are a tremendous number of absentee ballots that have not been returned. Your work over the next 55 hours will make a huge difference about whether we get those votes counted!”

BM: “We are really in a position to win Republican seats like we haven’t had in a long time. This is the most amazing party GOTV effort we have ever had. You are the ones who are going to make the difference. “

McPherson mentioned that as SOS, he has actually personally travelled to all of California’s counties, meeting with the various Registrars or Voters.

After the speeches were over, both candidates got on the… Read More

Before the late 1990’s much of the Republican grassroots infrastructure was “outside” the party or campaign organizations. Organizations like the California Republican Assembly, Republican Federation of Women, and Young Republicans were useful suppliers of large numbers of committed trained volunteers. But over the last decade or so for various reasons the volunteer armies have tended to drift over to the Party proper, and to a much lesser extent the campaigns.

Why? A few of the coalition organizations had pretty serious demographic problems. In English, that means the base of their active membership got old, and as the organizations began to refocus towards the schedules of the retired instead of younger families, membership declined as people died. Other organizations depended on ideological tensions within the Party on being high. These groups tended to suffer during the enforced ideological peace of the Bush Machine era.

That’s why I’ve been so impressed with the College Republicans under Davidson, Puetz, and Mason. In the battle for control of San Diego’s City Council earlier this year – hardly something to make… Read More

McClintock for LG campaign Communications Director Stan Devereax has just shared an interestesting story with those of us on the McTour — an operative from the Democratic National Committee showed up at our Temecula stop…

Anne-Marie Reynolds is apparently a fellow with the CORO foundation, and is out lying about her professional while on the campaign trail. Ms. Reynolds came into the Temecula HQ with her camera, and when questioned about her identity, identified herself as a photographer with the San Jose Mercury News (she couldn’t even pick a local paper). Stan pressed her for some I’d, and she grudgingly admitted her real identity. She said that she is on leave from CORO helpiing out the Democratic Party – scoping out the opposition.

As a funny aside, apparently McReyolds (who is following behind the McRV) said she has been following our tour via the FlashReport and is doing some “research” on “new media” like the FR…. Nice.

Maybe right now she can wonder if the San Jose Mercury News is going to ask her bosses at CORO why their fellow is out impersonating one of their photographers.… Read More

We’ve been mobbed here in Temecula, on the west end of Riverside County. County GOP Chairman Jeff Miller has welcomed the McTour here.

Miller’s welcome committee also includes Kevin Jeffries, who will be following the retiring Ray Haynes as the next local GOP Assemblyman.

Jeffries introduced first Secretary McPherson…

BM: If Republicans can get out our votes, we will have a majority of the statewide elected positions in the Republican offices. We were swept four years ago, and now we are poized for an amazing victory.”

McPherson then introduced Tom McClintock, “the most principled man in the legislature.”

TM: “Think of the message that we will send nationally if we shift this blue state into a red country. We can remind everyone that California truly is Reagan Country.”

A shout out to longtime FR friend Ryan Kenny, who is the local V6 staffer on the ground here.

In a funny moment, Senator McClintock was approached by a man named Eric. It turns out they went to high school and were both Young Republicans together!… Read More

We’re on the road to Temecula, and I am sitting at the McRV table with Secretary of State Bruce McPherson and his wife, Mary, and our next Lieutenant Governor, Tom McClintock. . We’re chatting about the energy and excitement we all feel about election day…

"I applaud the Governor for being such a great team player. For commiting his resources to the massive Victory ’06 GOTV effort," the Secretary of State said.

Mary McPherson is so excited at the prospects of the election of Senator McClintock. She thinks that Tom’s defeat of life-long liberal Democrat John Garamendi is so awesome… If we could bottle Mary’s enthusiasm, we could power the entire state!

As we zoom down the road (with the retired General at the helm) we’re looking forward to our Temecula stop and more exciting energy exchanged with Victory GOP volunteers.… Read More