Here is the political situation facing the Republican Party in California: At this point they have no strong candidates with serious money running for Governor or any Statewide office. That means the Democrats will be able to take all the money meant to be spent statewide, will be spent on local elections. The California Republican Party has its own internal fight, between the grass root volunteers and one man than donated $43 million in the last election cycle—including $700,000 to DEFEAT an incumbent Republican Assembly member. Crime? The GOP’er was a no tax raise conservative.
Now, the Republicans are running a functionary from Pepperdine University for Secretary of State. The Democrats have several candidates—with lots of money. Dan Schnur (disclosure, a friend) has decided to run for Secretary of State as an Independent—he left the GOP a couple of years ago. Unlike the other candidates, Democrats and Republican, Dan is actual qualified for the position. My belief is that several newspapers will endorse him. If he can raise enough money, Dan, not the Republican will be on the November ballot. In fact he could actually win the office, if people are fed up with the special interests, the unions and the super-rich trying to own California candidates and Parties.
“Schnur, 50, argues the person who runs the state’s elections should be unaffiliated with either party. He uses a baseball analogy to say why that’s important.
“You don’t want the umpire wearing a Dodgers or Giants jersey,” he says. “By the same token, you want the person in charge of the election process to be one who is not beholden to the Democrats or the Republicans.”
Dan Schnur for California Secretary of State?
Frank Stoltze, KPCC, 12/22/13
Fixing California
Dan Schnur, director of USC’s Institute of Politics and former spokesman for Governor Pete Wilson, is “strongly considering” running for California Secretary of State.
Just about everyone in California politics knows the name. He once was one of the state’s best known Republican political consultants, and more recently has been one of California’s most widely quoted analysts as director of USC’s Jesse Unruh Institute of Politics.
Now, Dan Schnur says he is “strongly considering” running for political office himself. He is interested in being California Secretary of State. If he does run, he will run as an independent.
Schnur, 50, argues the person who runs the state’s elections should be unaffiliated with either party. He uses a baseball analogy to say why that’s important.
“You don’t want the umpire wearing a Dodgers or Giants jersey,” he says. “By the same token, you want the person in charge of the election process to be one who is not beholden to the Democrats or the Republicans.”
Schnur’s ties to the Republican Party run deep. He got his start in politics as a volunteer for President Reagan’s 1984 re-election campaign. He went on to be chief spokesman for former Governor Pete Wilson and national director of communications for the 2000 presidential campaign of Arizona Senator John McCain.
He says he switched his registration to “No Party Preference” nearly three years ago to be a more credible advocate for campaign finance reform – another issue close to his heart.
“I’m not naive,” Schnur says of the role of campaign cash. “I worked in politics for many years. But I hadn’t remembered money taking up so much time and being such a preoccupation.”
In 2010, Governor Schwarzenegger appointed Schnur chair of the Fair Political Practices Commission. He served for about a year, and later launched a website called Fixing California.
He has proposed prohibiting state lawmakers from raising money when the legislature is in session, which is about eight months out of the year.
With the California GOP in disarray, Schnur may have a better chance running as an independent.
Schnur is well connected, having served as an advisor to the William & Melinda Gates Foundation, the Broad Education Foundation, and the James Irvine Foundation. He estimates he’d need to raise at least $2.5 million to be competitive.
Other candidates for Secretary of State include Democratic State Senators Alex Padilla of Los Angeles and Leland Yee of San Francisco. Republican Pete Peterson, who runs Pepperdine’s School of Public Policy, is also running.
The election is next June.
Pete, guess you are too new to politics. People at County Committees have seen candidates they have never seen or heard of before show up, get introduced, say a few words and chat till folks go home. That is not campaigning-you are one of the multitude that are running for office, show up once and think you are doing well. It takes a long time for a candidate to develop “relationships”. Showing up at election time does not make it. When the committee members and those in the grassroots actually decide who to support, work for and promote, they help those they know, not those that just showed up to the Party. Glad to see that unlike Whitman, you have actually been registered to vote. Damon Dunn, who ran for Secretary of State had not been a registered voter. He had charisma, lots of personality-but just like you, showed up all of a sudden at the Party. Folks loved him-he went no where because people understood he was about himself. He had a “story” and interesting background and truly one fo the greatest speakers I have heard. Still, went no where. Don't think anyone has seen him since. Oh, mcPherson so loved the GOP that in order to get elected to the Monterey Board of Supervisors, he left the Party. Kind of like Nathan Fletcher-those who knew him, knew Nathan was about himself and nothing else.Bruce is one of the nicest people I know in politics-yet his voting record was more like a liberal Democrat than a moderate Republican.So, that is why people want to know how a candidate really is. Nathan and Bruce surprised no one-neither did Whitman, Fiorina (who now lives in Virginia-she, like you just showed up at the Party) People will “say” nice things to you and then when it counts will push for candidates for other offices. They have seen Carly, Meg, Fiorina and the rest who show up to run for office.Look forward to your call.Steve Frank805-795-1271
December 30, 2013 at 7:22 pm