Assemblyman Dan Logue just introduced his colleague, State Senator Sam Aanestad, to the CCA meeting. Aanestad is speaking right now, and making the case for why Republicans should choose him as our nominee for Lt. Governor.

FR reported earlier in the week that Aanestad had announced his candidacy. Aanestad touted the endorsement of Congressman Tom McClintock — and that of former U.S. Senator Fred Thompson.

Aanestad's late entry into this primary gives him a challenge shared by Carly Fiorina that I mentioned in the post below — his opponent, Senator Jeff Denham, has been endorsed by virtually the entire GOP universe of elected officials in California, such as they are.… Read More

Though not here at the California Republican Party Convention, the campaign of Carly Fiorina for U.S. Senate is showing definate activity. They just announced endorsements from five former Chairmen of the CRP: John Herrington, Tirsi Del Junco, Bob Naylor, Frank Visco, and Mike Montogemery.

Marty Wilson, a senior strategist for the Fiorina campaign, announced to the Republican County Chairmen's Association that former CRP Executive Director and former RNC Regional Field Representative John Peschong would be heading up Fiorina's statewide political operations.

As we have mentioned before, Wilson's business partner, Beth Miller, will be handling campaign communications.

Wilson told County Chairmen that their campaign pollster will be the Tarrance Company and their media consultant will be Fred Davis.

Of course Fiorina's entry into the primary over a year after the entry of Assemblyman Chuck DeVore means she will be playing “catch up” on endorsements for quite some time — with DeVore having claimed the lionshare of elected GOP officeholders around the state…… Read More

Some FR readers have been watching a coutroom in Ventura County where prosecutors from Attorney General Jerry Brown's office have been trying to convince a jury that Joel Angeles, Chief of Staff to Assemblywoman Audra Strickland, had committed crimal battery against some protesters at a local Republican political event. Imagine this — all of the witnesses of this “alleged” incident were the protesters!

Just minutes ago, the jury found Angeles innocent on all counts! Yeeah! Congratulations, Joel!

A hearty congratulations as well to Joel's attorney, Steve Baric. Baric, a former career prosecutor heads up the California Lawyers Association and Secretary of the California Republican Party.… Read More

I am on the road to Indian Wells where I will convene with fellow Republicans at the Renaissance Esmeralda Resort. It’s a stunning location offering many amenities. But members of the California Republican Party have little time to play and instead must stay focused on outlining the party’s strategy and goals if we are to make inroads in 2010. California is in crisis. That’s not news to anyone. The GOP must move forward with plans to shift our great state’s economy from gasping on life support to one that is healthy, robust and thriving once again. Our goal is to make sure California voters put more Republican leaders in Constitutional offices and Legislative seats. The laws coming out of Sacramento simply don’t reflect the values that most Californians hold, and the GOP is in the position to bring positive change to the Golden State. To successfully achieve our goal, we must stay focused on important issues, such as creating jobs and strengthening the economy, as well as holding the line on taxation, addressing our water needs , and providing safe neighborhoods for our families. We must work as a unified team, not subsidiaries… Read More

From today’s San Diego Daily Transcript:

Job Creation is Job No.1 By Assemblyman Nathan Fletcher

California has always been synonymous with the American Dream. "Go west, young man, go west," they said, and people did. From the Gold Rush until today, California has been the place people aspired to achieve their dreams. We have been the global center of innovation, technology, and entrepreneurship.

In the Golden State everyone had a shot at making a better life. The hardest working and most creative people found success here and made California their home. They established the nation’s best schools and universities, built cutting-edge infrastructure and revolutionary high-tech, biotech, entertainment, agriculture and defense industries. Californians made our state the envy of the world.

Unfortunately, those accomplishments are becoming distant memories. Today, California is renowned for record unemployment, budget deficits, and a massive job… Read More

(Blogging from Indian Wells, where Republicans will gather for the State GOP Conventions which begins today…)

At some point in the middle of the day yesterday, I actually looked at the date on my Blackberry just to confirm that it was in fact mid-September of the “off year” and not late May of next year, the election year. It was that crazy yesterday trying to keep up with some of the back and forth between GOP gubernatorial hopefuls Meg Whitman and Steve Poizner yesterday.

Actually (and I apologize for which invariably will be a bad analogy – I’m terrible with my analogies) as I looked from my backyard in South Orange County yesterday into the very dry Cleveland National Forest, with particular focus a small plume of smoke from a not-so-distant wildfire, I thought about the political goings-on of the day, and I realized that tensions are so high between these two campaigns that the GOP primary for Governor is like a dry forest in fire season – one little match can set the whole thing ablaze.

**There is… Read More

(Blogging from Indian Wells, where Republicans will gather for the State GOP Conventions which begins today…)

At some point in the middle of the day yesterday, I actually looked at the date on my Blackberry just to confirm that it was in fact mid-September of the “off year” and not late May of next year, the election year. It was that crazy yesterday trying to keep up with some of the back and forth between GOP gubernatorial hopefuls Meg Whitman and Steve Poizner yesterday.

Actually (and I apologize for which invariably will be a bad analogy – I’m terrible with my analogies) as I looked from my backyard in South Orange County yesterday into the very dry Cleveland National Forest, with particular focus a small plume of smoke from a not-so-distant wildfire, I thought about the political goings-on of the day, and I realized that tensions are so high between these two campaigns that the GOP primary for Governor is like a dry forest in fire season – one little match can set the whole thing ablaze.

Yesterday that match was struck by Andrew McIntosh, a reporter from the Sacramento… Read More

From today’s Wall Street Journal Political Diary E-mail…

Are Whitman and Fiorina California Dreamin’?

… Read More