I need to point out that while Mr. Nehring was chairing the County Chairman’s Association while they endorsed Schwarzenegger over McClintock, the CRA PAC I headed raised and spent several hundred thousands of dollars supporting McClintock in the recall. So obviously we are pro-McClintock.
The reason CRA members like McClintock is he is principled. CRA will stand on principle on this pre-primary endorsement issue as well.
Mr. Nehring travels the state telling volunteers that the party has a responsibility to register voters, walk precincts etc…
Now it looks like the party will start choosing the nominee.
In 1998, the State Party made a pre-primary endorsement of Dan Lungren for Governor.
Please email me if that looked like a good thing in hindsight.
Recently, the State Party did the same thing for Arnold only to have him reward the loyalty by appointing partisan Democrat Susan Kennedy as Chief of Staff, have some in his administration talk of a tax increases, big bonds, raising the minimum wage etc…
Pete Wilson, Deukmejian, Reagan never needed pre-primary endorsements. George Bush went through the primaries to secure his re-election.
It is a sign of weakness to need the State GOP blessing to run in a Republican Primary.
McClintock doesn’t need this endorsement to win. That is the sign of a strong candidate.
I know Nehring and others are trying to appease conservative activists angry over the Governors disloyal actions. However, we have to look at the practical effects of the pre-primary endorsement Pandora’s box Nehring is opening.
Why not let the 800 Republicans gathered endorse McPherson any of the other down tickets races? Who decides at what level this should stop?
How do we know any of them will not have a primary opponent? The close of filing is after the state convention.
Why does the party keep the ban on endorsing in legislative races? Instead of picking and choosing where and when to endorse, let’s admit that the party should endorse and do it in all these races.