The Whitman for Governor campaign has started to air their 30 minute "infomercial" which clearly is being aired as an advertisement for Whitman’s campaign. The style of the advertisement is to place the candidate, Whitman, in a "townhall style" environment, where she is meeting new people (presumably the voter at home can empathize as someone also trying to get to know the candidate). There was a dust up a couple of months back during the taping of this event because everything is staged, and someone had a video camera and caught candid moments of the coaching of the "actors" (supporters) in the spot. I didn’t devote a whole lot of time to this back when it happened because I found it to be largely a non issue. Why would a candidate tape their own advertisement and do so in an unpredictable, dynamic environment? I don’t know anyone who films a campaign commercial, whether 30 seconds or 30 minutes, that doesn’t completely control every word said from front to end.

Okay, that said, the Poizner campaign put together a short web video (we try to bring all… Read More

Many of you have been following the race here in the Central Valley to succeed retiring member of Congress George Radanovich,in California’s 19th Congressional District There are four candidates in this primary, and until now, I have been undecided about who to support. I like and respect each of the men running, and at different times have supported each of them for public office.

In sizing up the race, I would say we have the "anointed" candidate, the "farmer" candidate, the "unlikely" candidate, and the "grassroots" candidate. Let me explain as follows:

State Senator Jeff Denham was asked by George Radanovich to run to succeed him. The Central Valley’s Westside farmers and Congressman Devin Nunes jumped early on former Congressman Richard Pombo’s bandwagon, City Council Member Larry Westerlund shocked everyone by getting into this race as an unknown outsider, and former Fresno Mayor Jim Patterson… Read More

Who would be a better Lt. Governor of California? Liberal Democrat San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom? Or Liberal Democrat Los Angeles City Councilwoman Janice Hahn? Or Republican appointed incumbent Abel Maldonado?

What should be an easy rhetorical question on FlashReport is complicated by the fact that the Lt. Governor made a policy mistake in voting as a State Senator for a tax increase, and supporting Prop. 14, which would hurt "strong party" politics in California.

I am willing to accept Abel’s views on these items. On taxes, I urge the Lt. Governor to hold the line in future. The tax vote was a mistake. But the past is the past. Resolve to not re-enact the past. On Prop. 14, I agree with our publisher it is a horrible idea. But I am not willing to drum an accomplished political leader out of our party just because I disagree on an issue or two.

And I have done the research and know Abel is hardly a liberal. The fact is he is widely criticized on blogs and in local press by liberals in his former State Senate district for being too conservative.

Janice Hahn or Gavin Newsom… Read More

In a Washington Post article, “Five Myths About Green Energy,” Manhattan Institute Senior Fellow Robert Bryce sheds light on the mythical green job industry, saying:

“The very concept of a green job is not well defined. Is a job still green if it’s created not by the market, but by subsidy or mandate?”

Bryce, who today releases his fourth book, “Power Hungry: The Myths of ‘Green’ Energy and the Real Fuels of the Future,” goes on to say:

“Growth Energy, an industry lobby group, says increasing the percentage of ethanol blended into the U.S. gasoline supply would create 136,000 jobs. But an analysis by the Environmental Working Group found that no more than 27,000 jobs would be created, and each one could cost taxpayers as much as $446,000 per year.

“Sure, the government can create more green jobs. But at what cost?"… Read More

The California College Republicans held their yearly convention this past weekend in Los Angeles. With just over 300 in attendance, it was one of the biggest such gatherings in years. Michael Antonopoulos, the current Chairman of the CCRs, was unanimously elected to a second term.… Read More

Statement of Jon Fleischman on the confirmation of Abel Maldonado to be California’s next Lieutenant Governor:

"The Republican Party in America and in here in California has been suffering greatly because of politicians like Abel Maldonado who campaign for office pledging to shrink the size and scope of government, and to oppose new taxes — but who then abuse their office of public trust by doing just the opposite.

The greater the prominence of Abel Maldonado, the more difficult the task of Republicans is in regaining a majority. The path to a Republican majority is not through embracing the policies of the Democrats.

The message sent to the public by his confirmation is that if you are a Republican who is willing to put special interests over the interests of taxpayers, you can, indeed, go far in Sacramento.

I will close by saying, as an officer of the California Republican Party, that Maldonado’s confirmation is especially disappointing since Maldonado is the author of Proposition 14, the purpose of which is to drive political parties, including his own, out of business." … Read More

FlashReport friend and contributor Adam Probolsky reports that FR friend John Eastman is leading the race for the Republican nomination for Attorney General, albeit narrowly and with "Undecided" actually leading the pack. According for the Probolsky Poll, Eastman sits at 16.2%, with LA District Attorney Steve Cooley at 12.2% and State Senator Tom Harman at 10.5%. This poll is the latest evidence that the conservative revival taking place across the country – in response to the Obama/Reid/Pelosi attempt to radically reinvent American in their image – is just as strong in California. Because perhaps no other candidate in California has captured the fancy of the "Tea Party" movement than John Eastman. Now as a California Republican Party official, I cannot endorse in the race, but I can observe. And I observe that if there was ever a year when a… Read More

When handicapping legislative campaigns seven weeks out there are several factors to consider. You look at how well a candidate is known in the community (name id), resources available to the campaign (fundraising and volunteers), where the candidates stand on issues important to the district.

In Assembly District 29, currently held by Mike Villines, we have three Republican candidates that would all claim to be the leading candidates in the race. Of those three Dr. Linda Halderman has everything breaking her way right now.

Halderman is a surgeon that spent most of her career treating breast cancer patients. This makes for a compelling story that she has told on local conservative radio station KMJ dozens of times over the past few years. She has some name ID and a compelling and memorable story to tell.

Halderman entered this race in late January and started behind the two other candidates that have been running for much longer. At the last report she had been running for six weeks and raised… Read More