[ad_1]
The California Republican Party overwhelmingly voted on Saturday not to approve a candidate in the recall race to replace Gov. Gavin Newsom, a move conceived as an effort to preserve the party’s unity but seen by skeptics as a effort to protect an establishment favorite and a reflection of the changing dynamics of the race.
Party chairwoman Jessica Millan Patterson, who once wanted the party to approve but spoke in favor of the lack of approval on Saturday, said the decision allows the party to focus its volunteers and resources on the first issue September 14 poll – do voters want to oust Newsom.
“It puts us in a great position and shows the strength of the candidates in this race,” she said. “We can go out and continue to focus on what we focused on – replacing the worst governor in state history.”
But others argued that the process was designed by party leadership to favor former San Diego mayor Kevin Faulconer, but when he couldn’t capitalize on the effort, the party reversed the course and pushed the vote against approval to avoid embarrassment for the Faulconer campaign. .
Former Rep. Doug Ose, who is also running to replace Newsom, pointed to an email Faulconer sent to party delegates after 11 p.m. on Friday urging them not to support anyone.
“What I think happened… is Kevin Faulconer thought he locked him up and all of a sudden he collapsed. Everyone who lined up with him said : “Oh, we can’t have that result,” Ose said, noting that he had urged party leaders not to create an approval process as it would require candidates to spend time qualifying for the process. “It was a complete waste of time.”
While a large majority of California voters oppose Newsom’s recall in the September 14 election, the most forceful voters are narrowly divided on whether the incumbent should be removed from office. This recent development has drawn more attention to the second question on the ballot: whether or not one is in favor of the recall of Newsom, if he is removed from his post, who should replace him?
The Republican Party has become a non-entity in statewide races – the last time a Republican was elected statewide was in 2006. But the September election could deliver to the party the best chances since then. If Newsom is recalled, the candidate who receives the most votes will automatically become the new governor, regardless of the number of votes he receives.
Forty-six candidates are on the replacement ballot, including 24 Republicans.
Four GOP candidates gathered the 200 delegate signatures needed to compete for approval – radio host Larry Elder, Assembly member Kevin Kiley, Faulconer and Ose.
The State Party’s executive committee voted in late July to create an approval process for the recall. Delegates met virtually, and a candidate would need the support of 60% of the delegates in attendance virtually or who submitted proxy votes on Saturday to gain party support.
A spokesperson for Faulconer’s team, which initially verbally supported the party supporting a candidate and sent delegates a storm of letters asking for their support, said they changed their minds after no Democrats in the first place plan did not stand as a candidate, denying the need for Republicans to rally behind a candidate.
“As our campaign stated a few weeks ago, we support the decision not to support a candidate. Since no Democrats have filed a request for question two, the sole focus of the California Republican Party should be to ensure that we defeat Newsom by passing question one, ”said spokesman John Burke.
There has been another development in recent weeks that has changed the dynamics of the race. Elder entered the contest in mid-July, immediately leading the polls and raising a huge amount of money.
His popularity was evident in the sponsorship contest. To be considered for a party nod, candidates had to collect the signatures of at least 200 delegates. Elder had 499 signatures, Kiley had 386, Faulconer had 340, and Ose had 255. (Businessman John Cox, the 2018 gubernatorial candidate, collected around 160, not eligible for review. consideration.)
“Larry Elder became a late mailman that was not part of the plan. I think there was an effort to create this process to help Faulconer, and I think Faulconer gave up on that a few weeks ago, ”said Rob Stutzman, a GOP strategist who advised the successful recall campaign. of Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger in 2003 and is not aligned with a candidate in the current race.
Stutzman added that he believes some members might be reluctant to bring the Elder Party back, given that it has not been fully vetted.
“I think many delegates have some trepidation about putting the party’s imprimatur on a candidate with many unknown variables in the coming weeks,” he said.
[ad_2]
Source link