Yesterday I blogged about the announcement by former Hewlett Packard CEO Carly Fiorina (pictured right) that she was taking the initial steps that one would take if looking at an official run for the U.S. Senate — filing her campaign committee name with the federal government, and bringing on board some communications consultants. You can read that here.
As Fiorina considers becoming a Republican candidate for the United States Senate, with an end-goal target of trying to take out liberal incumbent Barbara Boxer, she undoubtedly is well aware that she must first get through a GOP primary. For nearly a year now, conservative Assemblyman Chuck DeVore of Orange County has been running an extremely aggressive campaign for the Republican nomination. I should probably mention at this point that I have been close personal friends with the DeVore family for over two decades — but shall nevertheless attempt to be as fair and objective as I can in my coverage and analysis of his candidacy.
I like to refer to Devore (pictured left), as the Energizer Bunny of candidates because he is in campaign-mode 24/7 — traveling around California on what appears to be an endless quest to speak to every Republican in the state before the primary next June. According to DeVore’s campaign, the Assemblyman has made well over a hundred appearances since declaring his candidacy last November, speaking directly to over 20,000 voters. His campaign boasts having over 8,000 donors and the endorsements of 58% of California’s elected Republican officeholders.
It is no surprise that merely after Fiorina’s announcement, the DeVore for Senate campaign came out with a release blasting Fiorina, stating at the top that, “Democrats will attack Fiorina’s weaknesses from the start.”
Referring to Fiorina as the "ousted former head of Hewlett Packard," Assemblyman DeVore said: “She’s in, as we’ve expected for months, and already she’s showing her colors, hiring a Hollywood PR firm and Arnold Schwarzenegger’s chief moneyman.” DeVore says that Fiorina has hired a firm called Strategic Perception, which DeVore ID’s as the “Chief Creative Consultant” for Senator John McCain’s 2008 presidential run. His reference to the fundraiser for Schwarzenegger would be to Marty Wilson, who has been retained by Fiorina.
DeVore went on to say, “I don’t expect to see Fiorina out talking to the grassroots, taking her case personally to concerned voters. This campaign won’t be decided by slick ads from a Hollywood PR firm, nor by retreads from the ’08 McCain campaign, nor by the D.C. party establishment that gave up on California years ago. Rather, this campaign will turn on the hearts and minds of working Californians who want to see and speak with the candidates who ask for their votes.”
DeVore’s campaign noted that Fiorina’s views on issues are unclear, and her background makes her an inviting target for liberal senator Barbara Boxer.
I’ll pull the following verbatim from the DeVore release, complete with hyperlinks…
Fiorina’s public record stands in stark contrast to DeVore’s:
- Media reports have variously described Fiorina as moderate or conservative, having been silent on all of California’s major political battles of the past decade. DeVore has a proven 5-year voting record on the issues that matter to Republican primary voters and has been an active conservative for 28 years.
- The San Francisco Chronicle reported that Fiorina didn’t bother to vote in 13 of the last 18 elections. DeVore has never missed an election.
- Fiorina was a high-profile supporter of the financial bailout which kick-started President Obama’s new era of big government with trillion dollar deficits. DeVore opposed the bailout.
- Fiorina supported the stimulus, so long as the high tech industry got its share of the corporate welfare. DeVore opposed Obama’s stimulus-by-debt.
- According to a 2004 Forbes article, “Trading With The Enemy,” Hewlett-Packard under Fiorina set up an office in Dubai to sell electronic contraband to Iran to meet, “[s]trong demand for ‘anything high tech for military or oil services.’” DeVore is a 24-year Army intelligence veteran who has traveled extensively in the Middle East. DeVore also served as a Special Assistant for Foreign Affairs under President Reagan’s Defense Secretary, Caspar Weinberger.
On the issue of Fiorina’s voting record, the San Francisco Chronicle’s "Welcome to Politics Gift" for Fiorina was a lengthy article this morning, penned by ace veteran political reporter Carla Marinucci, blasting Fiorina on her voting (or lack thereof) record. Check that out here. It should be noted that beating the crap out of GOPers is a time honored tradition of the Chronicle, going back to before I got into this business.
It’s pretty clear at this point that DeVore’s biggest challenge, which undoubtedly has caught Fiorina’s eye, is an obvious difficulty in raising the kinds of funds that it will take to his campaign to the airwaves in a state the size of California — were television buys that span all of the state’s media markets can run millions of dollars — a week!
According to the last report filed by DeVore for the period ending 6/30/09, he had raised (in rounded off numbers) $377k in net receipts, spent $282k in net distributions, had $75k cash on hand and $106k in debt owed. No doubt DeVore has reaised more in the last six weeks, but he will not be required to file another report for many months. Hardly the kind of numbers that are going to help DeVore clear the field of other potential candidates, such as Fiorina.
DeVore does tout that since the end of the last filing period, his campaign has had its best fundraising month to date, raising over $100K — and he believes that his campaign is, "on track to raise between $1.5 million and $2.5 million by June". DeVore ads that in July alone his campaign added 550 new online donors.
As of now, Fiorina is at such an early state of the process of deciding whether to run that it is appropriate to say that DeVore continues to occupy all of the real estate in the Republican primary. But early indicators are that Fiorina jumps in — and if DeVore’s double-barreled blast this early is any sign, FlashReport readers can buckle up for a very long, drawn out primary…
Care to read comments, or make your own about today’s Daily Commentary?
Just click here to go to the FR Weblog, where this Commentary has its own blog post, and where you can read and make comments.