My brother has been offsetting my votes for GOP candidates for a long time now. But Rick did vote for Tom McClintock for Controller a few years back. Will he do it again?

I don’t know if my liberal brother from San Francisco would consider another vote for Tom this year – but it won’t be for lack of trying. Senator McClintock just got off of the phone with Rick, and we’ll see how it goes. I guess that’s one advantage of blogging with the candidates for a couple of days – personal GOTV calls to family and friends!… Read More

The crowd is packed here University Town Center Victory ’06 HQ in San Diego, where volunteers have been making phone calls to Republican voters.

This location is under the care and feeding of local V6 stagger Josh Groden and Chris Anderson with the Governor’s Campaign, who definately have been hard at work. On hand here is Todd Cranney who coordinates this whole region for the V6 program.

Ok. So on this stop, both of our Statewide candidates spoke an length to the volunteers:

TM: “There are a tremendous number of absentee ballots that have not been returned. Your work over the next 55 hours will make a huge difference about whether we get those votes counted!”

BM: “We are really in a position to win Republican seats like we haven’t had in a long time. This is the most amazing party GOTV effort we have ever had. You are the ones who are going to make the difference. “

McPherson mentioned that as SOS, he has actually personally travelled to all of California’s counties, meeting with the various Registrars or Voters.

After the speeches were over, both candidates got on the… Read More

Before the late 1990’s much of the Republican grassroots infrastructure was “outside” the party or campaign organizations. Organizations like the California Republican Assembly, Republican Federation of Women, and Young Republicans were useful suppliers of large numbers of committed trained volunteers. But over the last decade or so for various reasons the volunteer armies have tended to drift over to the Party proper, and to a much lesser extent the campaigns.

Why? A few of the coalition organizations had pretty serious demographic problems. In English, that means the base of their active membership got old, and as the organizations began to refocus towards the schedules of the retired instead of younger families, membership declined as people died. Other organizations depended on ideological tensions within the Party on being high. These groups tended to suffer during the enforced ideological peace of the Bush Machine era.

That’s why I’ve been so impressed with the College Republicans under Davidson, Puetz, and Mason. In the battle for control of San Diego’s City Council earlier this year – hardly something to make… Read More

McClintock for LG campaign Communications Director Stan Devereax has just shared an interestesting story with those of us on the McTour — an operative from the Democratic National Committee showed up at our Temecula stop…

Anne-Marie Reynolds is apparently a fellow with the CORO foundation, and is out lying about her professional while on the campaign trail. Ms. Reynolds came into the Temecula HQ with her camera, and when questioned about her identity, identified herself as a photographer with the San Jose Mercury News (she couldn’t even pick a local paper). Stan pressed her for some I’d, and she grudgingly admitted her real identity. She said that she is on leave from CORO helpiing out the Democratic Party – scoping out the opposition.

As a funny aside, apparently McReyolds (who is following behind the McRV) said she has been following our tour via the FlashReport and is doing some “research” on “new media” like the FR…. Nice.

Maybe right now she can wonder if the San Jose Mercury News is going to ask her bosses at CORO why their fellow is out impersonating one of their photographers.… Read More

We’ve been mobbed here in Temecula, on the west end of Riverside County. County GOP Chairman Jeff Miller has welcomed the McTour here.

Miller’s welcome committee also includes Kevin Jeffries, who will be following the retiring Ray Haynes as the next local GOP Assemblyman.

Jeffries introduced first Secretary McPherson…

BM: If Republicans can get out our votes, we will have a majority of the statewide elected positions in the Republican offices. We were swept four years ago, and now we are poized for an amazing victory.”

McPherson then introduced Tom McClintock, “the most principled man in the legislature.”

TM: “Think of the message that we will send nationally if we shift this blue state into a red country. We can remind everyone that California truly is Reagan Country.”

A shout out to longtime FR friend Ryan Kenny, who is the local V6 staffer on the ground here.

In a funny moment, Senator McClintock was approached by a man named Eric. It turns out they went to high school and were both Young Republicans together!… Read More

We’re on the road to Temecula, and I am sitting at the McRV table with Secretary of State Bruce McPherson and his wife, Mary, and our next Lieutenant Governor, Tom McClintock. . We’re chatting about the energy and excitement we all feel about election day…

"I applaud the Governor for being such a great team player. For commiting his resources to the massive Victory ’06 GOTV effort," the Secretary of State said.

Mary McPherson is so excited at the prospects of the election of Senator McClintock. She thinks that Tom’s defeat of life-long liberal Democrat John Garamendi is so awesome… If we could bottle Mary’s enthusiasm, we could power the entire state!

As we zoom down the road (with the retired General at the helm) we’re looking forward to our Temecula stop and more exciting energy exchanged with Victory GOP volunteers.… Read More

The Chairman of the San Bernardino County Republican Party is FR friend Bill Postmus. Postmus also happens to be the Chairman of the County’s Board of Supervisors. He’s now running for County Assessor and is the prohibitive front-runner for that seat. It was Postmus who welcomed us to this GOP volunteer center in Upland.

Bill introduced GOP State Senator Bob Dutton, who thanked all of the volunteers before introducing Senator Tom McClintock…

TM: “This election is now up to you (the volunteers). We have not had this sophisticated of a voter turnout program since 1972!”

Secretary Mc Pherson thanked volunteers and stressed the importance of this election.

Kudos for this well run HQ goes to Postmus and his team, which include Diane Fedele (the local V6 field rep) , Adam Aleman, John Richardson, and Robert Eland, among others.

Many volunteers are here this morning, including “super volunteers” Christina and Jessica Sandoval, who have been personally recognized by the Governor for their amazing dedication as volunteers.

GOP Assemblyman Bill Emmerson, FR’s San Bernardino County… Read More

Many people will look at the 11th Congressional district and see a 6% Republican registration edge and assume the safety of this seat for the GOP and House Resources Chairman Richard Pombo of Tracy. What lies underneath this election year however is a strange dynamic that has made this one of the most heated races in the nation.

Due to the massive infusion of 527 group contributions (on one day the Defenders of Wildlife reported spending over $100,000 just for identification calls) that have been going on the airwaves, in the mailboxes and on the ground, this race is now ground zero in the battle for the House of Representatives.

All polling released so far has put this race as essentially even and has now drawn the full force of both the DCCC and NRCC. This race will now come down to turnout and ground game. While the Pombo team is well known for its attention to ground and ability to turn out the vote, McNerney is counting on bussing in an army from Berkeley, Oakland, Palo Alto and even from as far away as… Read More