ITS ALL ABOUT THE LAWYERS…
Well, the new candidate on the block for State Attorney General on the GOP side, Pierre Prosper, is finding out that making his case to the GOP faithful will be a tough one. The front-runner for the 
Republican nomination, Chuck Poochigian, starts with a seemingly insurmountable advantage, whether you look at endorsements (Poochigian enjoys unanimous endorsements from all of the GOP legislators, and a host of others), he had a tremendous amount of grassroots support acquired from years of toiling in the vineyards for causes dear to the GOP faithful, he has raised over $3 million with around $2.5 million cash-on-hand, and has ace political guru Ken Khachigan to make sure those funds are spend wisely.
All of that said, it is certainly the case that Poochigian’s substantial support was garnered in the vacuum of an unopposed candidacy for the GOP nomination. Some of the tests will come in the days, weeks and months ahead as Prosper attempts to stymie the formidable Poochigian. That first opportunity came shortly after Prosper made the public announcement of his candidacy.
The California Republican Lawyer’s Association (CRLA) has become a very potent organization within the California Republican Party. It is still relatively young, but in its first few years of existence, it has branched out with chapters up and down the state. This organization has formed the backbone of GOP efforts against voter fraud, and being on-hand to fight the hand-to-hand battles, when necessary, at the ballot boxes and in the registrars’ offices when the ballots are being counted. By the nature of the group, its members are all attorneys — accomplished professionals. The current President, Orange County Deputy District Attorney Steve Baric is well respected as a prominent criminal law attorney, who is also tireless in his dedication to the GOP and to the CRLA.
When I heard that the CRLA board was going to be conducting interviews with both Poochigian and
Prosper, I wasn’t sure what this would mean. Of course the GOP’s attorney group would have a major interest in who our state’s top lawyer might be, I thought. Yesterday, the CRLA became the first GOP organization to endorse Poochigian OVER Prosper in this two-man race. Steve Baric issued a brief statement on behalf of his organization, which you can see attached below. But they felt that Poochigian clearly deserved their support.
I’m not saying that the CRLA endorsement is any kind of a ‘clincher’ for Poochigian, but is an ominous sign for Prosper. Prosper, being a newcomer to the political process here in the Golden State, is going to see this happen I lot I suspect. And I don’t think it is personal animas towards him, but rather a comfort with Poochigian and his years of political involvement. One of the CRLA board members told me, "Prosper is an articulate candidate, but he really should be starting off with a run for City Attorney, not Attorney General.
Therein lies the challenge for Pierre Prosper — to try to establish himself as a credible candidate in the race. Right now, most of those I talk to simply wonder why he doesn’t run for something else. But then again, most everyone I’ve spoken with has already endorsed Poochigian.
The FlashReport will continue to watch developments in this primary.
SIMON SAYS: VOTE DR. PHIL
Bill Simon, formerly a candidate for State Treasurer, and the 2002 GOP nominee for Governor endorsed Phil Kurzner for Insurance Commissioner. This was not unexpected as Kurzner was a Simon volunteer, and Simon’s volunteer guru, Joel Strom, is the main mover and shaker in the Kurzner campaign. Too bad Simon can’t transfer some cash to Kurzner, who may have trouble letting anyone outside of the political e-mail circuit know about this major endorsement.
OLLER WATCH
The FlashReport continues to hear that former State Senator Rico Oller is very seriously considering a jump into the GOP primary for Treasurer. His entry would be a welcome addition to a field of candidates amazing devoid of anyone who can both beat Bill Lockyer and espouses the philosophy of the Grand Ol’ Party.
ALL QUIET ON THE CARLY FRONT
Since it broke via the Wall Street Journal’s Political Diary that former HP head Carly Fiorina was eyeing a run for the GOP nomination for LG, there has been no word at all of this. One cannot help to wonder of WSJ jumped the gun, or if maybe someone explained what a powerhouse Tom McClintock is in a GOP primary. Of course, we also remember that if just one person in each precinct hat voted for McClintock instead of Westly, we would have Controller Tom McClintock.