CA GOP Glass is Two-Thirds Full

CA GOPChairman Jim Brulte

 
California Republican Party Chairman Jim Brulte understands the importance of perspective.

Party leaders can focus on statewide races all they want, but if Democrats control a supermajority in Sacramento, their liberal policies can ruin the state, and their votes can override the most sensible of vetoes from the Governor's desk.

Chairman Brulte laid out three clear goals for the California Republican Party in 2014:

1. Maintain the Republican Congressional Majority.

2. Defeat the Democratic Supermajority in Sacramento

3. Build and support the state party structure.

In the 2014 election, all three goals were accomplished.

Special elections also opened up following the ascension of three state senators to Congress.

I have written about Senate District Seven, vacated by Mark DeSaulnier, who replaced the retiring George Miller in Congress.

There was also Steven Knight, who replaced Buck McKeon in Northern Los Angeles County, and Mimi Walters replacing John Campbell in Orange County.

Surprisingly, Democrats did not bother running any one to replace Steve Knight in Senate District Twenty-One:

Two Republicans, and no Democrats, are running to replace Mimi Walters in her former state senate seat:

Senate District 37

While I am deeply disappointed that Republicans missed a golden opportunity to fight, and even win, another legislative seat in the East Bay region of Northern California, Democrats in 2014 were decimated nationally and pushed back in California, so much so that they could not find any candidate willing to run for two state senate seats in Los Angeles and Orange Counties.

As for Senate District Seven, two deeply entrenched political machines will thrash at each other, and the reform Democrat will either prevail, or fail. Whatever the outcomes, Republicans will still be able to regroup and retain Assembly District 16 (Catharine Baker).

Of the three special elections running in March, 2015, Republicans are guaranteed to win two of them, and in one of those races, the state party will not have to spend any money. Former State Senator Sharon Runner has returned to Sacramento:

Senator Sharon Runner (OCNative)

As for the Orange County seat, the fight rests between Assemblyman Donald Wagner and Orange County Supervisor John Moorlach:



Donald Wagner (above)              John Moorlach (below)

I cannot say "May the better man win" in this fight, because for me, either candidate would be great in the state senate. However, I would prefer to see Moorlach win the seat, only because I would like to put an end to all the Republican Daisy-Chain elections taking off in Orange County. Moorlach no longer serves on the OC Board, so the county and the state won't have to hold and fund another special election.

Whatever happens in March, California Republicans will still hold back the Democratic tax-and-spendthrift legislature, and they can also boast about discouraging Democratic attempts to take it back this year.