Free Republic

The Republican Party, as a brand, is dead in California. That's the eye-opening consensus of a crowd of political observers, lawmakers and strategists - Democrats and Republicans - gathered at a UC Berkeley symposium this weekend to mull over California's defiantly blue status in the wake of a conservative tide that swept the nation in November. Many of the 200 attendees at the two-day Institute of Governmental Studies conference appeared surprisingly unified on one issue: that, barring dramatic upheaval, the GOP's prospects may be doomed in the voter-rich Golden State. "Republicans, as a brand, are dead," Duf Sundheim, the former...

CRAFT is a 527 committee launched by last year by Schwarzenegger donors Larry Dodge and Paul Folino, and former Gov. Pete Wilson to recruit the "next generation" of statewide Republicans candidates. It is run by former California Republican Party Chairman Duf Sundheim. Moderate GOP pundit Tony Quinn opined at the time that CRAFT's formation "...shows the money people in the party have no faith in the California Republican party. This group would not exist if not for the fact that Republicans can't win statewide elections." Judging by CRAFT's financial disclosure, I'm not sure those involved know how to run a...

The California Republican delegation to the national convention in Minneapolis selected its leadership over the weekend. [My summary from short article below] Chairman: Former Secretary of State Bill Jones, who chaired GOP nominee Sen. John McCain's California campaign Honorary Chairman: Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger Co-chairmen: former Gov. Pete Wilson, Insurance Commissioner Steve Poizner and state party chairman Ron Nehring Committee reps: • Rules: Bob Laurie and Jill Buck• Credentials: John Peschong and the Hon. Rosario Marin• Platform/Resolutions: Rep. Kevin McCarthy and Jennifer Russo• Permanent Organization: Sonia Denham and the Hon. Van Tran

McCain Turns Purple States Red?   By Floyd and Mary Beth BrownFrontPageMagazine.com | Friday, March 07, 2008 Much of the current analysis of the presidential campaign battle is missing the point. All of the media attention is focused on the Hillary Clinton vs. Barack Obama heavyweight fight as if it will decide the election. But it seems observers in Washington, D.C. haven’t yet sensed the undercurrent running in the country, which for the first time in four years has turned and is running the Republican’s direction. The election map is changing. And with the changes, it will offer a...

With all the talk about the former red state, Republican state, California, becoming a blue state -- which is not quite as true as some think -- there is someone talking about it becoming a purple state. That is California Republican Party chairman Duf Sundheim, who talked about his hopes for California during last week’s bus tour kicking off Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger’s re-election campaign against Democratic challenger Phil Angelides. The Silicon Valley lawyer came on a few years ago to put a moderate face on the party, whose apparatus was traditionally viewed as right wing and increasingly out of step...