Dear Mr. ******,
Thanks for apprising me of his very interesting development.
Wondering what was up here, I consulted my database, looking for some impartial source, and I found this Associated Press release from Jan. 14, 2002:
LOS ANGELES (AP) - Secretary of State Bill Jones announced Monday he has received the endorsement of the Mexican American Political Association in his campaign for the Republican nomination for governor.
"We simply saw Bill Jones as an honest, hardworking person who has a track record of community responsiveness," MAPA President Ben Benavidez said in a statement released by the Jones campaign.
But MAPA, a Fresno-based group dedicated to promoting political representation for Hispanics, also has a policy of only endorsing candidates who show up at their conventions.
Jones was the only candidate on hand when the group met Jan. 5 in Los Angeles.
Former Los Angeles Mayor Richard Riordan planned to attend via satellite - but the satellite feed malfunctioned and he was disqualified, campaign officials said.
The third major GOP candidate, Bill Simon, missed the event, as did Democratic incumbent Gray Davis.
I am not ending my investigation here, but I did think that, for now anyway, a MAPA endorsement is not what it appeared to be.
Thanks again.
Very truly yours,
Readers Representative, Los Angeles Times
Do you have any info regarding MAPA & their endorsement policies? Of course this still doesn't fully explain why the LAT did not report this endorsement.
I am not ending my investigation here, but I did think that, for now anyway, a MAPA endorsement is not what it appeared to be...Perhaps the MAPA endorsement meant more when they endorsed Gov. Doofus in 1994 as Lt. Gov...Thanks again.
Very truly yours,
Readers Representative, Los Angeles Times
See http://www.calvoter.org/archive/94general/cand/lt/davi/endorse.html
ORGANIZATIONAL ENDORSEMENTS (Partial listing)
Gray Davis for Lieutenant Governor
-- snip --
Ethnic Communities
Armenian National Committee of America/Western Region
Black Chamber of Commerce of Los Angeles County
Black Political Council (Fresno)
Coalition of Asian Pacific Americans
Mexican-American Political Association (MAPA)