Law School Professor Tom Campbell gets some serious love today from Pulitzer Prize winning columnist George Will today, with a major profile piece.

Campbell, who has served taxpayers as a Member of Congress, a State Senator and as Director of the California Department of Finance is running a spirited if financially challenged campaign for the Republican nomination for Governor.

Campbell faces uber-wealthy candidates Meg Whitman and Steve Poizner in the June primary. No doubt Campbell would encourage those who follow California politics to look to the 1998 Democrat Gubernatorial primary, where two very wealthy candidates, former Northwest Airlines CEO Al Checchi and consumer electronics magnate Jane Harman, both spent millions out of their personal fortunes, yet it was Lt. Governor Gray Davis who emerged as the victor in that primary (who went on to trounce Dan Lungren in the general election later that year).

Campbell has… Read More

Gotta love those Democrats. Capitol Weekly has the story about the Dems being 4 year olds (our words, not Cap Weekly’s). Speaking of the big rally — it’s tomorrow! Click on the ad at the top of the right column of ads for the details.… Read More

I got a message from the Voter Registration Chairman for the Orange County Republican Party. She heard about the proposal I have put forward that says Republicans should choose Republican nominees for office. She was confused — she thought we already had that in place. (I can see where it is confusing, as the Presidential primary is open only to registered Republicans, but not the other races). She said that the party’s voter registration booths she encounters a great many people who are seriously thinking about re-registering from Republican to Decline To State. She’s been telling them that they should stay, and trying a number of arguments. But the most powerful and effective one? When she tells them that if they leave the party they can no longer vote in Republican primaries. That has been keeping a great many from leaving. Of course, it’s not true — and now she knows better so she can’t say that anymore. At least not for a few weeks…… Read More

The tension was already palpable at a townhall held by Democrat Congressman Jim Moran (VA) as he tried to sell Obama’s health care plan to dubious citizens. But things went from bad to worse when Moran had the audacity to ask for a constituent’s ID instead of answering the man’s question. Moran made this remarkably inept move under the auspice of controlling outside protestors from attending (and ostensibly) disrupting health care townhalls.

Moran is a poster boy for sneering, bad-mannered politicians. Americans deserve better from their representatives.

It’s too bad Moran and other Democrats don’t have this much passion for requiring ID at the voting polls as they do for ID-ing their constituents.… Read More

The 10th Assembly District which is centered in the San Joaquin and Sacramento County Areas – largely around South East Sacramento County, the Stockton area, and east into the foothills is a seat that had long been held by Republicans until last November when Democrat Alyson Huber narrowly defeated GOPer Jack Sieglock. As the saying goes, success has many fathers but failure is an orphan. In this case, no one wanted to take “credit” on the GOP side for Sieglock’s defeat and the shifting of this long-time Republican seat into the blue column. Some said that the candidate was to blame – did he campaign hard enough? Others said that funding priorities by the party and the Assembly GOP leadership were awry, and this caused the loss. I’ve heard others say that in the year of Obama, this seat was going to shift no matter what.

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As a long-time friend of the California College Republicans, I’m pleased to post the following recap of their fall leadership retreat (that took place, quite appropriately, at the Reagan Ranch):

Last weekend the California College Republicans met for their CR leadership retreat in Simi Valley. The Executive Board covered the rooms and a tour of the Reagan Library. Saturday was an intense day of training, including workshops on Fundraising, Media Messaging, and Activism, among others. State Senator Tony Strickland and his wife Assemblywoman Audra Strickland spoke on their experiences running for public office. On Sunday morning RNC National Committeeman Shawn Steel shared his thoughts about the future of our party and former NFL star Damon Dunn spoke on why he is a Republican. There were over 75 CR’s attendance.… Read More

The battle lines are drawn. Fleischman says the rule on primary voting (restricting Republican primaries to Republicans alone) is necessary to "maintain a vibrant GOP." Maldanado says it is suicidal. I think it is much ado about nothing.

Tony Quinn, in his column in Fox and Hounds, gives the numbers. The number of independent voters in Republican primaries in less than four percent. Now, I have to admit, I never agree with Quinn’s assessments of what it wrong in the GOP, but numbers don’t lie. Independent primary voters are for the most part irrelevant in either party primary (being about 6 percent of the Democrat voters). That means that restricting them from our primaries won’t be disastrous,and including them won’t make the party any more or less vibrant.

On the whole, if pressed on the question, I would say that Republican primaries are for Republicans. Definitely no Democrats, but I am ambivalent on DTS voters. The reason Republicans are losing voters to DTS status is not because Republicans are too conservative, however, it is because they stand for nothing. The party of small government and less taxes,… Read More

In a few weeks the members of the California Republican Party Central Committee will gather in Riverside County for our semi-annual convention. At that convention, delegates will consider a change that I have proposed in the state party’s bylaws that, if passed, would establish that only registered Republicans may cast ballot in the primary to determine who will be our party’s nominee in all partisan general elections match ups.

When I tell people about this proposal, most people respond in disbelief, not having understood that currently millions of California voters who choose not to register as a Republican have the ability to cast a ballot in the GOP primary. As one said to me just yesterday, “That doesn’t make any sense – it’s our Republican Party primary, where Republicans select the nominee to go up against the Democrat in November, right?”

As it currently stands, Decline To State (or independent) voters may request a Republican ballot, and vote in GOP primaries. For some time now, only the GOP Presidential primary has been open only to Republican voters – as the Republican National Committee rules prevent the seating of any… Read More