The results of all three contested GOP state races – 66 Jeffries (JohnsonClark), 74 Garrick (Coronado Communications), 77 Anderson (Nygren) – bodes well for the increasing ‘organization’ of San Diego Republicans. Each of the three winners was the most active candidate within their local Republican Party. None of the winners will go to Sacramento with the common ‘deer in the headlights’ look that doom half of incoming Republican legislators, particularly local government types, to years of confusion as to the role of the minority. The new San Diego delegation (Wyland, Hollingsworth, Jeffries, Walters, Garrick, Plescia, Anderson, and Horton) is probably the strongest delegation we’ve had in decades: sophisticated without the chronic divisive personal issues or deadwood that have weakened past delegations.
Interestingly, the winning Assembly campaigns also had the best ground campaigns. Winning managers, each of whom look to already be slated for their next opportunity, were:
Steve Puetz (Garrick). Puetz is the former Chairman of the College Republicans. He ran the San Diego Republican Party membership communication’s campaign for now San Diego City Councilman Kevin Faulconer. He served as a legislative aide to Assemblyman Mark Wyland.
Dan Centinello (Jeffries). A transplant from east coast College Republican antics, Centinello served most recently as campaign manager to now San Diego City Councilman Kevin Faulconer.
Collin McGlashen (Anderson). Another transplant from the east, Collin served under manager Chip Englander in the toe-to-toe slugmatch that was the 2004 re-election campaign of Assemblywoman Shirley Horton.