Sunday in San Bernardino County was, appropriately, a day of reflection. It started with the McTour bus visiting the Upland GOP Headquarters where Sen. Tom McClintock (pictured right) and Secretary of State Bruce McPherson thanked the volunteers who are helping make 60,000 calls in the county’s final push to get out the vote.

Then there was the memorial service in Devore for the five U.S. Forest Service firefighters who were killed by the Esperanza Fire last week. Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger led a moving tribute, and later privately presented flags to the families of the fallen firemen. In the audience were thousands of firefighters, officials from throughout the region and other mourners paying their respects.

Later, back at the Headquarters, a few of us were reviewing some internal polling from the week, including one in which we tested the Governor’s county numbers. He was at 54 percent to Phil Angelides’ 28%. Meanwhile, Schwarzenegger’s statewide numbers were showing him up 49% to 32% and climbing. The new… Read More

The state’s major newspaper columnists must have a journalist type of senioritis or election fatigue because a sampling of their work has turned up little. Sure, there are still close to a dozen stories about the gubernatorial contest, but they seem to just be recycled. Slightly different quotes. Different locations. Same activities. Same results. Readers can tell our journalists are restless.

I’ve been listening to the background noise of the Fox News talking heads discuss the impending elections around the country. I hear Tennessee, Florida, Texas, Rhode Island, Pennsylvania. A lady just mentioned Connecticut. I haven’t heard California mentioned all morning. We’re written off with the East Coast bias of the major news networks. The New York Times wrote maybe two (three?) stories about how California could buck the national Democrat "tidal wave."

While the top of the ticket might be a foregone, glamorous, conclusion, with its movie star and a tax collector contestants, the other constitutional offices have mangled the finger nails. In only a few are there small… Read More

The following report is filed ‘from the field’ by California Republican Party Vice Chairman Ron Nehring: I’m sending this report from the parking lot outside the packed Victory headquarters in Pleasanton in Alameda County, heart of the battle for control of Congress as the campaign of Congressman Pombo takes on the forces of liberalism for control of the 11th congressional district. One of tonight’s phoners is Jill Buck, Republican nominee for State Assembly and a real superstar running an aggressive campaign in a district that’s challenging for any Republican. Earlier in the day I visited the Stockton Victory headquarters where Central Valley volunteers were working to turn out voters on the other side of the hill. From there it was to Mountain View where Santa Clara Chairman Keen Butcher was helping to make calls pushing the entire… Read More

Fresno Mayor Alan Autry is a friend of mine, but his politics are all over the board. In this election cycle, he is at odds with the Fresno County GOP and the Lincoln Club over his endorsement of left wing Sheriff Candidate Margaret Mims, and his support of the infrastructure bonds, which if passed and issued will plunge California into the fiscal abyss once again.

Sources tell me that the Mayor was an uninvited guest, and while those in attendance to get out the vote were cordial, there was a healthy bit of tension during the day, and he was quite deliberately left off of of the official program when dignitaries such and Tom McClintock and Chuck Poochigian were introduced.

Mayor, you’re a great guy – but the grassroots base of the local Party isn’t too happy with you right now. Being tone deaf in an election year isn’t smart politics, especially if you have future political ambitions.… Read More

I checked in earlier with Steve Poizner as he is doing his campaigning around the state. Our next Insurance Commissioner had this report:

“Hi Jon,

Thanks for checking in with me today. Here’s what I have been doing in the last couple of days:

1. Met with silicon valley business leadersat the annual Silicon Valley Leadership Group policy luncheon and discussed key policy priorities for 2007.

2. Visited Victory 2006 office in silicon valley to thank the volunteers

3. Interviewed with the AP and the New York Times

4. visited with parent leaders of after school athletic programs in the central valley

5. called into radio talk shows in LA, Fresno, and San Diego

Lots of radio interviews set for the next couple of days.

Hope you are having fun on the bus!

Steve”

Go get ’em Steve. Cruz Bustamante is TOAST!… Read More

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