A Californian GOP Selects a Latina to Lead the "Republican Return"

The Republican Party of California on Monday chose 38-year-old Jessica Patterson as the leader, and the first woman to chair the GOP, never wasted time promising to "fight the Democrats" and lead a "republican return" in the liberal fortress.

Patterson's appointment comes as state democrats collapse on a series of high-profile issues on the national scene. The White House has hinted that it would sue the state for recovering billions of federal dollars wasted for the state's constant delay and ultimately for its abandonment. high speed train project.

"Let the California Democrats know that we are back and ready to ensure the return of the Republicans," said Patterson, who also became the first Latina to chair the state's GOP after his victory. "So, let's dig and concretize."

"We will fight against the Democrats, we will fight them in the press, at community gatherings … and we will beat them in the elections."

Patterson has a long career in Republican politics and previously led the California Trailblazers organization, which prepares new candidates for the bid. She previously worked for the administrations of former Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger, as well as for the campaign of governor candidate, Meg Whitman, among others.

The state, however, has shifted sharply to the left in recent years. The California Democrats exercise their functions throughout the state and constitute a supermajority to the veto state within the state legislature. Republicans have not had a state-wide job since 2006. The GOP ranks third in voter registration, behind Democrats and independents.

The 2018 elections pushed the party to the brink of extinction in the country's most populous state, with the Democrats overthrowing seven US House seats formerly considered GOP strongholds and Republicans holding less of the quarter of the seats in the state legislature.

"We are going to be on one thing: Winning."

– Jessica Patterson

The results stunned the Republicans. House Speaker Paul Ryan called the result "weird". Although Republican candidates in California were largely run on polling day, many candidates saw their advantage diminish and then disappear, with the late Democrats' votes counted in the weeks following the election.

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Some Republicans have blamed a new legal practice called "ballot harvesting". Two years ago California Governor Jerry Brown enacted AB1921, which legalized the so-called "ballot harvesting" practice. Previously, only a family member or a member of the same household was allowed to file postal ballots for an elector. but the news has allowed anyone – including political agents – to collect and return them for an elector.

But in the absence of substantial evidence of electoral misconduct, delegates from the Republican Party of California had to look inward and decide what to do with their party with its leaders. The majority of some 1,200 delegates chose Patterson, who previously ran a program to recruit and train Republican candidates.

Patterson said the transmission of the Republican message into new communities would be the key to success and said it would make candidates focus on California's problems rather than on the president's message.

His two rivals, former Assembly member, Travis Allen and party activist Steve Frank, said the key to success was to energize the party base that likes President Trump. Both are strident sponsors of the president.

But Patterson had the support of most elected officials, including some of Trump's biggest supporters, as GOP parliamentary minority leader Kevin McCarthy. She was considered the best prepared candidate to raise money and do the tedious job of chairing.

Her opponents argued that she represented more of the same leadership that led the party to decline. The two defendants, the State party did not advocate for strong conservative values ​​and fled Trump's full support. Allen came second and Frank is ranked third.

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"California Republicans are just as Republican as Republicans all over the country," Allen said in an interview last week. "It is time for us to have a Republican Party that defends our values, our ideals and supports our Republican President."

After the vote, Allen only stated that he hoped that "the Republican Party will start fighting for the good of all Californians".

Patterson said that before the elections, she supported Trump. Beyond McCarthy, she had the support of key Trump supporters such as US representative Devin Nunes and the two members of the state's Republican National Committee.

But some of the most ardent Californian supporters of Trump were disappointed by the result. Stephanie Sporcich, a teacher, said she was involved in the state party because of Trump's election. She voted for Allen and saw in the presidential race a battle between the base and the establishment.

"We are the most ardent supporters of Trump and committed to her values," she said, adding that she and other new activists had already successfully infiltrated the party structure and that they would continue to do so.

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But Elizabeth Patock, another teacher, liked Patterson's goal of bringing in "non-traditional Republicans" in the evening. Patock did not vote for Trump and stated that she did not like the ugliness of the national politics.

She said Patterson "has a positive message".

Patterson is the first Latina to lead the state party. She did not make her personal assets a major part of her campaign, but said the party had to use "new messengers".

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California Republicans have struggled to appeal to the growing Latino-Hispanic and Hispanic population of the state due, among other things, to the party's stance on illegal immigration. Patterson did not say Sunday how she would handle this problem.

As a sign of goodwill, she named Frank and Allen co-chairs of a voter registration committee. Both had pointed out that the outsourcing of voter registration activities by the party was a major flaw. And she called for the unity of California Republicans.

"Our success will be a team effort, not ego, no personal agenda, no drama," she said. "We are going to be on one thing: Winning."

Alex Pappas of Fox News and the Associated Press contributed to this report.