I’ve said before that the local GOP Central Committee is controlled by a hard-right “old-guard” faction, and sure enough, it showed itself on Friday.
It’s a shame since most local GOP voters are moderates, and the results of this year’s elections are going to show that, I predict. The GOP Central Committee is out of touch with its own constituents.
Here’s the list of GOP candidates endorsed by the group:
U.S. Congress 4th District — Rep. Tom McClintock
State Senate 1st District — Sen. Ted Gaines
Nevada County Bd. of Supervisors District 2 — Ed Scofield
Nevada County Superior Court Judge — George Smyrnos
Ed Scofield is a GOPer who is running unopposed, so it’s good (and not surprising) to see the group backing him. (GOP Central Committee Treasurer Barry Pruett contributed $300 to Ed’s campaign, as reported previously).
Tom Anderson is a Democrat, so it’s no surprise that the GOP Central Committee is backing his opponent. (Though this is supposed to be a nonpartisan post, and his opponent is less experienced).
But here’s the clincher: The Central Committee took no position for the District 1 Supervisors race or the U.S. Congress District 1 race. How chicken is that? (Or a “lilly-livered varmint” as Yosemite Sam puts it).
Incumbent Nate Beason is a GOP moderate. His challenger is the TPP candidate Sue McGuire — far behind in fundraising, as of the latest campaign finance report.
Considering Beason’s experience and accomplishments, there’s no reason the group shouldn’t have endorsed him — except some of the GOP Central Committee members have axes to grind with Nate. I think it’s personal.
And for Congress, Doug LaMalfa is running against a more extreme right candidate Sam Aanestad. Aanestad’s campaign chairman is none other than Tom McClintock.
Nevada County conservatives, including Supervisor Hank Weston, Supervisor Ted Owens, Assessor Sue Horne, Grass Valley Councilwoman Yolanda Cookson and Grass Valley Vice-Mayor Jan Arbuckle, all are endorsing LaMalfa.
I also find it odd that the group went out of its way to endorse the hard-right candidate McClintock, because he’s largely exiting the district.
The leadership of the Repubulican Central Committee provides a clue:
Chairman Richard Ulery
1st Vice Chairman Carla Embertson
2nd Vice Chairman Greg Marks
Secretary Deborah Wilder
Treasurer Barry Pruett
Past Chairman Bill Neuharth
And the rest of the GOP Central Committee is here.
To receive the endorsement of the Nevada County Republican Party, candidates must receive the vote of a two-thirds supermajority of regular and ex-officio members of the Central Committee.
When Beason and LaMalfa win their races, as I expect they will, the local GOP Central Committee should justifiably have egg on its face. This group needs “new blood” to restore its credibility among the county’s registered Republicans.
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