Lynn Daucher’s election to the California State Senate matters. Right now she and her Democrat opponent, Supervisor (and former Assemblyman) Lou Correa probably both feel a great deal of empathy for both President Bush and former Senator Al Gore — as election day for Daucher (pictured to the right) and Correa continues to go on and on. You see, in this Central Orange County Senate District, represented by term-limited Democrat Joe Dunn for the past eight years, the votes are too close to call. When all of the election-day ballots were counted, Daucher held onto a razor thin lead — but that was with over 20,000 votes yet to be counted (late absentee ballots, those who brought their AB’s to their polling place, and provisional ballots cast by those who had some issues at the polling place). After several days of counting ballots (with several more days to go), today Daucher sits with an 833 vote margin over… Read More

Today Bob Huff put out the following column on the Assembly GOP’s leadership change. It’s well worth the read…

Election Reinforces Need for a Leadership Change

By Assemblyman Bob Huff

Pundits will Monday-morning-quarterback the state election and its outcome for months, but it seems clear that voters like the idea of a bipartisan effort to wrestle with and solve state issues. In a move that ran counter to national trends, the California electorate rewarded a Republican Governor with a second term to govern with a Democrat-controlled legislature.

Contrary to the electorate’s expectations though, Sacramento will be a de facto one-party state – unless the Republicans in the Assembly work as a team and stand united. If we don’t, we will be nothing more than a wire fence with an open gate for the liberal agenda to pass through. And, all of the work we have done to be elected and serve our constituents according to our values and principles will be for… Read More

This race was going to be a no brainer. Margaret Mims, Democrat, Assistant Sheriff, against retired CHP and gang task force leader Cal Minor, aRepublican. Republicans have a 25,000 voter registration advantage in the County. Minor is endorsed by the Fresno Bee, the Lincoln Club of Fresno County, Congressman Radanovich and Nunes, Senator Chuck Poochigian and Assemblyman Mike Villines, Fresno Chamber of Commerce,Deputy Sheriff’s Association and Fresno Police Officers Association, the Republican Central Committee, and countless others.

It appears as if Minor has lost the race – and Mims might have scored the biggest upset win in decades in Fresno County. How did she overcome all the assets of Cal Minor?

She mostly benefited from the GOP implosion.

Minor’s apparent loss, by 770 votes out of over 140,000 cast, was driven by several factors, as… Read More

FR friend Bill Bradley interviewed Matthew Dowd, Chief Strategist for Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger’s re-election, last Tuesday night at the Beverly Hilton hotel. The interview is below. Of course, lots of talk about the Governor’s success with his new ‘bipartisan’ approach to governing and campaigning. There is no doubt that this strategy has brought about electoral success – very much so. But becoming elected to office is a means to and end. Other than his firm commitment not to raise taxes, it is really hard for me to discern what is on, and what is off of the table in terms of public policy proposals for the Governor.

Part of the problem is that I thought I had a clearer picture of where the Governor wanted to take this state right after the recall of Gray Davis. I am hoping that the Governor will start to make it more clear where he is coming from so that we can all understand it. In the absence of specificity, I get very nervous.

There are a lot of very bad things that can happen to California at the hands of Don Perata… Read More

Michael Reagan, the eldest son of former President Ronald Reagan, has a nationally syndicated talk radio program, with over 5 million daily listeners.

Reagan has a column today in Human Events entitled, Republicans Lost Because They Lost Their Way, which is worthwhile reading for Republicans as we reflect on Tuesday’s loss of the Senate and House.

He writes, in part:

Kudos to Doug LaMalfa for his post this morning…he does an outstanding job saying what needs to be said, without saying what he can’t. That’s not doublespeak…a leadership change is a sensitive matter for all, and Doug handles it with grace.

With that said, I want to add my two cents on George Plescia. He is one of the finest individuals I have met in the political arena, someone I would be proud to work with anytime. He did what amounts to a tough job in difficult times. Politics aside, he is also a great person and a true and loyal friend, title by his name or not.

I hope none of us need to be reminded that winning and losing in politics is sometimes not — even rarely, perhaps— about one’s value as a person, or even their capabilities as a lawmaker or a leader.

My congratulations to Mike Villines. My thanks, as well, to George Plescia for all he has done for San Diego, for California, and for the GOP.… Read More

In one week, House Republicans will hold internal elections to determine their new leadership, after the dismal results of last Tuesday’s elections. Because of so much interest by FR readers, I reached out to longtime FR friend Rick Dykema, who is Chief of Staff to California Congressman Dana Rohrabacher, and asked him if he would give us an overvue of the process, and a roundup of who is running for what. Also, look for something soon on these elections from FR’s Beltway Correspondent, Congressman John Campbell…

The Upcoming Republican Leadership Elections An overview penned by Rick Dykema The House Republican leadership elections scheduled to begin at 8 a.m. Eastern Time, next Friday, November 17, are shaping up to be the most completely contested elections in history. The shift from majority to minority status has stirred the ambitions of several Republican… Read More

When a candidate runs for office with the right motives sometimes they win, sometimes they lose. But more often than not, candidates who run with the worst of intentions fail.

This was the case in the city of Orange where Newport Beach real estate agent Carol Rudat ran for city council in a city in which she did not live. Her motivation was to seek revenge on several of the council members (one of them who is now deceased) for firing her husband as city manager.

Rudat lost, badly.

Her chief opponent Denis Bilodeau (who won) by contrast is as planning commissioner in town, long time resident. His children go to local schools. He genuinely cares about the city and its residents.

Rudat, it has been suggested, actually ran the air conditioner in her Orange ‘residences’ all summer long–24/7 so that she could one day, if need be, show a judgethat she and her husband really ‘lived’ there–"just look, we used this much power." How obnoxious. The funny thing is that I’ve her water bill in the Orange home she supposedly lived in only showed gallons in water use over the same several month… Read More