We are pleased to offer this guest commentary from political consultant Dave Gilliard.  Gilliard is President of Gilliard, Blanning, Wysocki and Associates.

Where is Our Candidate for Attorney General?
By Dave Gilliard, President of Gilliard Blanning Wysocki and Associates, Inc.

Republicans who have been busy trying to recruit candidates for statewide office in 2010 may be missing the greatest opportunity for a GOP pick-up in a crucially important seat – the office of Attorney General.  Three of the last six Attorneys General of California have been Republicans. This is an office we can win – but only with the right candidate.

With current Attorney General Jerry Brown running for Governor, at least four Democrat hopefuls are preparing campaigns. None of the four is a top-tier candidate and all are vulnerable to a strong and well-funded Republican challenger.

San Francisco District Attorney Kamala Harris is considered by some to be the leading Democrat for the job, due mostly to her ethnicity and her association with Barack Obama.   While she may be popular in San Francisco, her ultra-liberal positions will betray her in a moderate turnout statewide election.  Her opposition to the death penalty and wacky sanctuary city policies, which have resulted in numerous illegal aliens being set free to commit serious crimes in her city, make Harris a dream opponent for a strong Republican.  Also, Harris is not well liked by the police unions due to her refusal to prosecute cop killers to the fullest extent of the law.

Two obscure members of the Assembly are also contemplating the race. Assemblyman Alberto Torrico was a union lawyer for ten years before being elected to the Assembly and will likely benefit from public employee union support.  Assemblyman Ted Lieu has a stronger resume – he is a Major in the Air Force Reserves and a former military prosecutor – but he is unlikely to emerge from a Democratic primary dominated by liberals and union voters.

Finally, there is Bobby Shriver, the far left Santa Monica City Councilman, environmental activist and brother of California First Lady Maria Shriver.  Shriver is part of the Kennedy family clan.  His mother is Eunice Mary Kennedy (sister of President John F. Kennedy) and his father is Sargent Shriver. I would love to see the opposition research report on him!

Against this weak field, the only official Republican candidate is State Senator Tom Harman.  While Harman has proven to be a strong candidate in open primary elections at the legislative level, nothing in his resume points to him being a strong statewide contender for Attorney General.  He will be 70 years old in 2010.  He is not a former prosecutor. He is not known as a champion for crime victims.

Nothing is certain, but 2010 could be a year of great opportunities for Republican candidates nationwide. It would be a shame if California Republicans missed out by not fielding a winning candidate for one of the state’s most important offices, Attorney General.

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This entry was posted on Tuesday, March 31st, 2009 at 12:00 am and is filed under Blog Posts.