From today’s Wall Street Journal Political Diary E-mail (thanks John for the F/R ‘shout-out’):

California Goes Its Own Way

Washington D.C.’s conservative community is acting as if an invasion of barbarian liberals is at the city’s gates. But out in the nation, the picture is a bit more mixed. California conservatives aren’t depressed at all, despite their state’s reputation as a pure blue stronghold. Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger isn’t a traditional conservative but his lengthy coattails may bring along some top-flight conservative candidates who are running for lesser statewide offices. Should State Senator Tom McClintock be elected lieutenant governor, for instance,… Read More

Much has been made about the strength of the GOP team of statewide candidates this year.

Arnold has the star power. Tom and Tony and Pooch bring out the base. Poizner and McPherson give us strength and balance.

But as these last days approach, I’ve come to believe that the rest of the team brings significant benefit to the ticket as well, but in an unusual way…

About a year ago now if you recall, businessman and Redistricting Reform advocate Bill Mundell was talking about putting his millions up against Senator Feinstein. Bill Simon too was talking about making a run for the Treasurer’s post.

Neither ultimately decided to run, and in some ways, it’s a blessing.

Instead of the popular Senator and the deep-pocketed AG adding to the clutter on the airwaves and giving Democrats actual reasons to go vote, both are opting to sit comfortably atop their warchests, secure in the knowledge that their races don’t require vast expenditures.

An unintended consequence of those decisions though is the removal of a competative race for either post that could possibly pull the Democrats out of the downward spiral of… Read More

Tan Nguyen, the newly minted Republican who is running for Congress in central Orange County fresh on the heels of running for Congress as a Democrat in the neighboring House seat is having a bad day — actually — a bad few days. As a general rule you probably never want to be linked to the DrudgeReport – that is usually bad news. Looks like the Feds are all over him…Nguyen is, and the links are below…

GOP Calls for Withdrawal of Candidate After Letter...

Agents Search Office...… Read More

We can’t keep up with the cancellations fast enough. Here are more television stations where Cruz Bustamante has pulled his television ads. These are in additions to the ones listed below.

3pm Update: I have now attached Dec Relief and P&A’s (for you lawyer types) 2pm Update: I have now attached the filing.

Today a group of attorneys has filed suit to try and have Jerry Brown disqualified as a candidate for State Attorney General. Apparently, according to Adam Abrahms, a state board member of the California Republican Lawyers Association and a plaintiff in this action along with fellow GOP attorneys Tom Del Becarro, Mark Pruner, David Prince and Carl Burton, the law requires that you may not qualify as a candidate for the office, “unless he shall have been admitted to practice before the Supreme Court of the state for a period of at least five years immediately preceding his election or appointment to such office.”

FR friend Tom Del Becarro, who is Chairman of the Contra Costa County Republican Party and also was elected by California’s 58 GOP County Chairmen to serve as President of the State Association of County Chairmen, is also a plaintiff in the case and has been doing heavy lifting to get the case together and filed today.

Tom has his own… Read More

by FR State Capitol Correspondent Dan Schnur

Some say the world will end in fire, some say in ice. So if you’re a California Democrat contemplating electoral apocalypse and you’ve already reconciled yourself to the idea that Arnold Schwarzenegger is going to be re-elected next month, you’re probably just beginning to confront a downticket dilemma that’s almost as frustrating:

McClintock or Strickland.

If you’re a California Democrat and you’re still mad about the special election, but you’ve come to term with the idea that another four years of Arnold won’t be that bad as long as he continues to compromise with the legislature on everything but taxes and illegal immigration, and you were never that wild about Phil Angelides anyway so it’s time to start thinking about Villaraigosa or Newsom or O’Connell (or Obama or Gore or Hillary), you’ve still got an unpleasant decision to face in the meantime:

**There is more – click the link**… Read More

Yesterday, I spoke to a GOP Women’s club about initiatives on the November ballot. This cycle, I usually say there is total agreement from GOP organizations against all the tax increases and voting yes on1A, 83, 85 and 90. Then there is disagreement about the bonds with most groups opposing all five, While the CRP and CCR support a couple of them, someare neutral etc…. (BTWvote against all the bonds)

Yesterday, I also found out that wasn’t so. The Log Cabin Republican Club, a group that attempts to promote"gay-friendly" policies among Republican office holders,while opposing the tax increases is opposing Prop. 90- the eminent domain initiative, neutral on Prop. 85- Parental Notification and most odd "neutral" on Prop- 83-Jessica’s law a crack down on sex offenses, pedophiles etc…

I get a lot of grief about not towing the Governor’s line on a host of isues. I’d be curuious to know how much grief this club has gotten for not being on board Arnold’s first signature campaignissue.

I know members of this club. In fact I… Read More

Two big issues – and bad voter perceptions. First, the Iraq war. Let’s face something head on here. The public doesn’t know anything about what is happening in Iraq. 100% of their information comes from the media. 75% of the stories are negative. Therefore, voters are against the war. By almost every historical objective measurement, this war is going well. Casualties and setbacks are a part of war. Civil War is something we are not used to facing in countries have invaded. There is not much unusual about civil war in a new democracy. We had one, remember?

Second, the economy. Unbelievably, the Bush economy has been in every respect better than the Clinton economy – and still is. The American public don’t have a clue about the national economy, only their own. Most people are doing well. 85% of the stories on the national economy are negative. Therefore, voters don’t sense the economic well being of the country as a whole.

Two big issues. Two issues where voter perceptions are entirely media driven. And two issues working against Republicans in the this election. A country full of… Read More