By John LovellJerry Brown made it official last week – he’s running for Governor. Actually, the big news would have been if Jerry had decided not to run. Jerry has conducted a non-campaign that kept any major challengers out of the race in the Democratic primary, and, into the bargain, forced San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom out of a primary challenge to Brown. Newsom is now running for Lieutenant Governor, an office he publicly scorned during his stint as a gubernatorial candidate.
On the Republican side, Insurance Commish Steve Poizner, despite trailing former eBay executive Meg Whitman by over 20 points, walked away with the endorsement of the California Republican Assembly, the state’s leading grass-roots Republican volunteer organization. CRA, which is the voice of Republican conservatives, was founded in the 1930’s – ironically by then California Attorney General and later Governor and US Supreme Court Chief Justice Earl Warren. The endorsement is an important one for Poizner, because it gives him conservative bona fides in what promises to be a contentious primary campaign on the GOP side.
Start making your plans to come on up to Sacramento for DATC on May 11 and May 12. You’ll get to meet newly minted GOP Assembly Leader Martin Garrick, and hear from Sacto Bee Political Editor Dan Morain, as well as GOP political guru Jim Brulte. For more details and registration information, go to
www.cahu.org and click on the
Day at the Capitol banner.