The Poizner for Governor campaign just released this memo from former Senate Republican Leader Jim Brulte:
TO: Supporters FROM: Jim Brulte, Poizner Campaign Chair RE: Poizner Closing The Gap On Whitman DATE: April 23, 2010
*You Heard It Here First*
We are in the final stretch of the campaign and the polls are showing exactly what our campaign predicted.
We have said all along that as the voters begin to focus on the two candidates for Governor, the mile-wide and inch-deep support for Meg Whitman will begin to collapse and support for Conservative Republican Steve Poizner will begin to grow.
That is exactly what we see happening.You will recall the Whitman campaign recently touting public polls that showed Meg with a 49 point lead over Steve Poizner, but they have remained uncharacteristically silent about the recent SurveyUSA poll which shows that her lead has been slashed by more than 50%.
*The latest Survey*
USA public poll shows Meg Whitman's lead down to 22 points, while other private polls conducted throughout California show the race even closer. In reacting to the most recent Capitol Weekly poll, conducted over a week ago, pollster Ben Tulchin says the results show real trouble for Meg Whitman. Tulchin says that “(Whitman's) ahead, but compared to other polling that's out there, her numbers have dropped,” and that “she's spent a lot of money and she's under 50 percent.”
*What We Expect Next*
The Poizner campaign's next prediction is that we will soon hear a chorus of Whitman spinners and campaign operatives proclaiming that they have always known the race would tighten, but that there is not enough time for Poizner to close the gap.
But history shows that there is more than enough time to close the gap and take the lead. As Californians, we've seen this scenario before.In the 2002 Republican gubernatorial primary, Moderate Richard Riordan led Conservative Republican Bill Simon by more than 30 points with a little more than a month to go in the primary. In the last month, Simon overcame that deficit and ending up beating Riordan by 18 points. It happened then, and we will see the same results in this primary.
This race is just beginning and it will be an exciting finish.
(Posted by Blackberry, so pardon any formatting issues.)
April 23rd, 2010 at 12:00 am
I hope Jim is right and the race gets tight enough so that one side or the other buys my slate card which neither seem inclined to do at the moment. But I also wanted to mention to any partisans of either candidate, that even if neither side buys, we will still be carrying a candidate for Governor on two million pieces of mail and I would very much like to hear the arguments for both sides, not just on who would be the better Governor, but also on who would most help the other candidates on the slate. My email is tkaptain@sbcglobal.net. Please feel free to send me the reasons for your choice and why you think that candidate would help my slate card. Thank you very much.
April 24th, 2010 at 12:00 am
on that front, I would give a slight edge to Poizner…his history as a candidate and elected official show at least some dedication to party building…Whitman has no history of any party building activity, minus the appearance as a finance person for McCain, which obviously was done with an eye to this year.
April 24th, 2010 at 12:00 am
It’s funny. Since I posted my comment, I have learned just how much people read John’s blog. I have eight responses so far and Mark’s makes nine. Some are serious and to the point and a few are humerous. For example, one person suggested that I carry Whitman arguing that she was taller and saying the problem with California was that we had too many short Governors who suffered from a “Napolean complex” and the reason people like Arnold (who is actually very short) keep raising taxes is to try and prove something. Another recommended Poizner because they said he was a Capricorn and Capricorn’s make good politicians. Anyway, keep those responses coming. It’s been very interesting reading and I have learned some things.
April 24th, 2010 at 12:00 am
Have you noticed little dusting up of Whitman….come on boys….liberals, socialists and communits as well as Flash Report RINOS want this gal….she is ARNOLD-LITE and that means less for taxpayers and more for chronically challenged Californian moochers.
April 25th, 2010 at 12:00 am
Canpaign chair Jim Brulte has been blowing smoke and waving mirrors for years but he leaves out a vital reality that perhaps because he propogated it.
Yes! Steve Poizner is closing the gap with EMeg. And the Goldman scandal is going to help close it some more. I do not think so but others may be right about Steve pulling off a miracle in the Republican primary.
But Poizner will be a “dead duck” in the November general against a tired and tiresome Jerry Brown in this blue of blue states. That is so because he has killed his chances to gain the necessary quarter or third share of the Latino vote that a California Republican needs in a statewide race. Poizner’s political campaign treatment of illegal immigrants…no government services even for their children including education…is plain immoral to begin with. (I so e-mailed Steve.) This Poizner policy, of course, would also hurt California’s economic future which will need all the home educated and trained workers it can possibly get. Beside all this logic, chair Brulte know that the Demo dominated Legislature will never enact this politically shortsighted stupidity into law.
I know through long political experience that a Republican governor candidate can’t give away 20% of the California electorate…the Latinos…to Brown and have any real chance of winning in November. (The electorate has negatively changed for Republicans since that one exception…Pete Wilson’s win.) What a Poizner political tragedy this could be…perhaps pull off the impossible in the primary only to give it all away in the November election. And to do so even before the fall campaign begins.
Somehow I intuitively believe that Republican voters quietly suspect all this. That may be a key reason why they are ignoring shortsighted “smoke and mirrors” Jim Brulte and leaving Steve so far behind in the polls!
April 26th, 2010 at 12:00 am
Well, I am now up to 38 responses. Interesting stuff. Just for informational purposes, Meg Whitman is not related to Christie Todd Whitman so far as I know and Steve Poizner is not related to Susan Poizner the famous British Writer and TV Producer.