Later today, State Senator Jeff Denham will formally announce his candidate to be the next Lieutenant Governor of California, according to sources close to the FlashReport. Denham has become rather legendary within GOP donor and activist circles because of the failed attempt to recall him from office because of his leadership in opposing new taxes to resolve the state’s fiscal woes. As someone who follows Golden State politics closely, I welcome Denham into this race as his moxie, and straight-forward style are much desired with a party in need of solid representatives, who will clearly articulate the differences between Democrats and Republicans.
Denham is a tough and aggressive campaigner who has carried his huge Democratic-leaning Senate district – which spans the Central Valley to the Monterey Coast – 3 times. Denham was first elected in 2002 and re-elected in a landslide in 2006. As I mentioned above, earlier this year, former Senate President Pro Tem Don Perata financed an effort to recall Denham from office after the GOP legislator refused to vote for passage of an unbalanced state budget. Denham defeated the cynical recall campaign with an amazing 76% of the vote. The recall boosted Denham’s profile and has created an opportunity to take his fiscally conservative message statewide.
Denham’s distinguished himself in the California Senate as a leader for comprehensive budget reform and he’s pushed hard for better management of state surplus properties. He’s been a strong advocate for California’s small businesses and changing our state’s anti- business climate to make us more economically competitive. That said, Denham will have some work cut out for him as the posturing necessary to win a potential closed GOP primary for LG is definitely different than how you would position for a general election victory in a Democrat-leaning legislative district.
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December 11th, 2008 at 12:00 am
There isn’t a better candidate for the Lt Gov spot. Jeff Denham has acted for the long term good of California time and time again. He understands, as a business owner and employer, the issues facing our economy and knows what we need to do to return California to a stable financial future. He has been a champion for common sense and responsiblity in all areas of government and has demonstrated his resolve time and time again. We need Jeff Denham as Lt Gov.