Free Republic

Former South Bay lawmaker considers run at governorship SACRAMENTO - Former South Bay Republican congressman Tom Campbell - a fiscal conservative, social moderate and respected academic who twice before unsuccessfully sought statewide office, is eyeing a possible run in 2010 to replace Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger. Campbell, 55, filed papers last week to form an "exploratory committee" for governor, which allows him to begin raising money for a potential bid. He joins two other GOP moderates from Silicon Valley - state Insurance Commissioner Steve Poizner and former eBay chief Meg Whitman - among Republicans who have expressed interest in running. On...

Nothing like a disaster to bring politicians together - or turn them into punching bags.Lt. Gov. John Garamendi, never one to shy away from the cameras, was told by his advisers to keep his eyes open when he arrived in Southern California for last week's wildfires, and if he saw a shot to take it.And that's just what Garamendi did upon learning that President Bush was winging it out to San Diego to tour the fire damage Thursday."It's public relations," Garamendi said on MSNBC's "Hardball with Chris Matthews." "We'll be polite. But frankly that's not the solution. How about sending...

A few months ago, the smart money was that Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa would be the likely Democratic candidate for governor in 2010 and probably would become the first Latino governor in more than a century. That, however, was before he admitted to having an affair with a local television anchorwoman -- an admission that may lead to a very messy divorce case. Infidelity per se may no longer be a barrier to higher office, but the situation has generated some sharp criticism of Villaraigosa's judgment -- enough that his gubernatorial ascension is no longer the semi-sure thing it...

Was it a slip of the today when an audience member at a luncheon speech today featuring newly elected Lt. Governor John Garamendi began his question of the official with, "Governor ..." It may have had something to do with the fact that earlier that morning, former San Francisco Mayor Willie Brown regaled the Contra Costa Council with a list of Democrats eying the governorship in four years. And yes, Garamendi's name came up. "Garamendi's looking at it," Brown said, during a lively, hour-long panel discussion about the state of California and national politics. Garamendi and Brown were guests at...

MOKELUMNE HILL - John Garamendi, who on Nov. 15 had his first official meeting since Election Day with Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger, has invited the governor to hang out in a chummier fashion at his Mother Lode ranch to ride horses. That is because the incoming lieutenant governor would like to have the kind of relationship with Schwarzenegger in which he could be a significant player in the making of health care, education and environmental policy. To be a lieutenant governor with that influence would be unprecedented. The job The lieutenant governor has numerous duties: • The lieutenant governor is president...

LOS ANGELES - Democrat John Garamendi won a close race for lieutenant governor, as Republicans faltered in their efforts to win statewide offices and gain power in Sacramento. Garamendi, who currently serves as insurance commissioner, edged out conservative Republican state Sen. Tom McClintock, an anti-tax ideologue, in Tuesday's election. Democrats also won races for California attorney general, treasurer and controller. "The conclusion to be drawn here is that California is still a true progressive state even though it has a nominally Republican governor," Garamendi said. With 93 percent of precincts reporting, Democratic state Sen. Debra Bowen had a slim lead...

Welcome to the live thread for the California Primary Election. Polls are open until 8pm tonight. If you are a registered voter, it is your duty to vote and defend your rights and civil liberties, protect your pocketbook, and vote the bums out where applicable. Feel free to discuss issues key to your local area that others may be interested in. Post your polling place experiences if you like. And post numbers as they come in later tonight.

With the race for lieutenant governor in the balance, Democrat John Garamendi is spending the campaign's final weekend arguing that he's a bigger supporter of Republican Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger than his GOP opponent, state Sen. Tom McClintock. A press release Friday listed 11 issues where the insurance commissioner supports the governor and McClintock disagrees, including Schwarzenegger's backing for an increase in the minimum wage, new controls on global warming, stem cell research and all but two of the governor's five bond measures. (snip) McClintock's willingness to say exactly what he thinks, along with his ability to talk clearly about financial...

STOCKTON - The Delta's own John Garamendi is in a statistical dead heat against Republican Tom McClintock in the race for lieutenant governor, according to the last Field Poll before Tuesday's election. Garamendi, who lives in Walnut Grove and who represented San Joaquin County in the Legislature before he became the state's insurance commissioner, holds a 44 percent to 43 percent lead over McClintock, a state senator from Thousand Oaks. Several other Republicans are faring well in the poll, which creates a potential paradox on Election Day: In a year national Democrats are expected to win big, Republicans could capture...

These guys should be running for governor: Democratic Insurance Commissioner John Garamendi and Republican state Sen. Tom McClintock. They'd make the race a lot more interesting — less predictable, much closer, more focused, offering a clearer choice of views and visions. (snip) These candidates are interesting in themselves — both knowledgeable, thoughtful, experienced policy wonks. As insurance commissioner, Garamendi helped write workers' compensation reform, has forced down homeowners' premiums and decreed that auto rates should be based on driving records, not where a motorist resides. McClintock, a longtime conservative legislator from Thousand Oaks, was the crusader who deserves the most...

Despite conservative views, McClintock in dead heat with Democratic opponent Garamendi SACRAMENTO - Californians could be on the cusp of electing the state's most conservative lieutenant governor in nearly 30 years -- a candidate who is firmly to the right of most of the state on issues such as abortion, the environment and government spending. State Sen. Tom McClintock, arguably the most popular conservative in the state, is running neck and neck in his race with Democrat John Garamendi, the term-limited state insurance commissioner. Although considered by many to be a powerless post, the lieutenant governor does become the state's...

  Latest Polling: McClintock Up 4   by Brandon Powers - Los Angeles County 10-27-2006 5:00 pm The results of Public Opinion Strategies’ latest tracking poll is in, and it has Lt. Governor nominee Tom McClintock up 4-points.The survey, conducted over the last few nights with a sample of 800, has Tom up 39-35 with 15% undecided.Further, of those who’ve already voted, Tom’s up even bigger: 43-35.And despite attacks against him, Tom’s overall image rating remains in the neighborhood of 3:1, with his negatives still in the teens.Last, of those left undecided, Tom’s image rating stands higher than Garamendi’s.Going down...

Providence Publications Endorses Tom McClintock With only 14 days until the election it as appears as though the end of the elected John Garamendi may be at hand. While the industry gets ready to cheer his exit from the stage the danger still exists that he'll become Lt. Governor. As many readers know this publisher is a life long Republican who spent 10 months volunteering as Chief Insurance Advisor to Garamendi during his last campaign. I got to know Garamendi well and to like him as a person. He is extraordinarily bright, and some of my favorite memories are the...

On Monday, California's lieutenant governor candidates, Democrat John Garamendi and Republican Tom McClintock, debated before the San Francisco Chronicle's Editorial board at the CBS 5 studios in San Francisco.

A new state auditor's report concludes that Insurance Commissioner John Garamendi recovered $1.1 billion in litigation over the failed Executive Life Insurance Co. but it fails to address hotly contested questions over whether he achieved the best results for policyholders. In 1991, during Garamendi's first stint as insurance commissioner, he seized control of Executive Life to protect its 330,000 policyholders because of heavy losses in the company's multibillion-dollar junk bond portfolio. His handling of the matter has been assailed in a blitz of television commercials by the Republican Party and his opponent in the race for lieutenant governor, state Sen....

LOS ANGELES California's Department of Insurance has recovered roughly $988 million, after legal costs, for Executive Life policyholders and guaranty associations since taking over the failed insurance company in 1991, according to a state report released Thursday. In the report, state Auditor Elaine Howle looked at how state insurance officials have managed funds recouped through litigation finalized last year. The department has received more than $1.1 billion from litigation, while racking up $165 million in legal costs, according to the report. The review could not ascertain how much of the money has been distributed to policyholders or the guaranty associations,...

Two veteran politicians say they would try to use office to drive policy debates -- About the only thing the two candidates for California's lieutenant governor agree on is that they don't agree on very much. Republican state Sen. Tom McClintock's views "are so extreme and so out of step on issues like climate change, Social Security and abortion that there's no doubt my views are much more consistent with those of most Californians,'' said Democratic Insurance Commissioner John Garamendi. "California voters have had a bellyful of politicians like John Garamendi whose only answer to the state's problems is to...

IN A STATE FILLED WITH OBSCURE elected official positions, none is more pointless than lieutenant governor. Officially president of the state Senate, he rarely shows up in the chamber and can't even cast a vote except to break a tie. His primary task under the 1879 state Constitution is to be in charge when the governor is out of state — presumably because it would take too long for the governor to get telegraphed notice of an emergency and return by stagecoach. --snip-- As the state's first elected insurance commissioner, Garamendi was a fearless and capable enforcer of Proposition 103,...

"If I don't get it this time, I'll have to fire my pollster," McClintock said with a laugh. McClintock, 50, is not known for jollity. The stiff, bookish and somewhat iconoclastic lover of tax-policy debates is the un-Garamendi. . . . He is a darling of conservative talk radio, with his erudite railings against government spending and illegal immigration. And there is a sense that he has fashioned an image as a refreshingly unglamorous Mr. Straight Shooter, whose appeal transcends his philosophical base, intriguing independent voters who disdain everything slick and opaque in politics. "He doesn't come off as a...

McClintock's latest attack ad uses Garmendi footage out of contextState Sen. Tom McClintock, running for lieutenant governor against state Insurance Commissioner John Garamendi, has a new ad attacking his opponent. Following is the text of the ad and analysis by Bee Political Editor Amy Chance.• TEXT: Sue Watson: We lost our home.• ON SCREEN: The truth about John Garamendi's record as insurance commissioner.• Vince Watson: As insurance commissioner, Garamendi sold our insurance company to a junk bond king and foreign bank. They made billions while elderly and handicapped policyholders were financially devastated.• Announcer: And, after years of lawsuits and investigations,...