Election 2018: My Current Picks for California Statewide Offices

Many seasoned political pundits are rather cynical about Republican chances. Forgetting winning an office, how about Republicans even getting into the Top Two. A couple of consultants have shared with me that there will not be one Republican running for statewide constitutional office after the June 2018 primary.

What a sad day that would be for the state of California, to have every voter face off against either a communist or a socialist, a crony Establishment corporatist (Hillary Clinton) or an unfliching collectivist (Bernie Sanders). These are disastrous choices, and they will hurt the down ticket contests, including the vulnerable House, State Senate, and State Assembly Seats.

I cannot think of a worse fate than for California to see fewer Republicans in the state legislature, in both chambers. When that happens, financial Armageddon will overcome the state of California, and municipalities on the financial brink will roll over and go bankrupt completely.

The Republican Party has itself to blame in part, since they spent more time with their own establishment bickering. Governor Pete Wilson refused to put up a meaningful fight to protect Prop 187, and illegal aliens ran rampant throughout the state of California. Not the demographic shifts alone, but the pandering for open borders, while handing out more welfare and giving the public sector unions everything they demanded ensured that California would go from Golden to Godless and Penniless within two decades.

And here we are today.

Will there be any Republican in the Top Two for constitutional statewide offices?

I hope so, and at this time I see no reason to sit out the fight.

So, here are my choices for statewide constitutional offices as of now, including speculative choices for those who have not official announced their intentions to run yet--if they will at all.

1. US Senate

At this time, there are two candidates I am paying attention to:

a. Caren Lancona, who stood out at an early Republican Assembly event in the South Bay.

b. Jazmina Saavedra, who has been an outspoken Latina for Trump, and with whom I have worked hard and connected on many issues.

I am still reserving judgement at this time, only because Mrs. Lancoma sold her home and invested her time and resources to move around the state and make her case. Saavedra is exciting and energetic, but can she raise any money or increase her profile to exceed Lancoma's?

Right now, I am leaning toward Jazmina, an outspoken Trump supporter and a strong opponent of illegal immigration. As of now, I just don't know enough about Caren, and I have also met her.

2. Governor

I enthusiastically support Travis Allen. He has a record of fighting for causes I care about. He has voted on the correct side of every issue I care about, even when he was the only "No" vote on the Assembly floor. He is bold and brash, outspoken and unceasing in his push to Make California Great Again. Unlike his Republican challenger John Cox, he supported Trump openly and has not run away from his support for the President. The MAGA Agenda is helping Americans all across the country. When will we enjoy these successes? Let's get rid of the liberal, progressive obstacles in Sacramento, for starters.

Allen is vocally opposed to sanctuary cities and illegal immigration. He authored a bill to defund sanctuary cities in California, even inviting members of We the People Rising and the Remembrance Project to testify against those issues.

He not only voted against the gas tax increase, but launched an initiative to repeal it. He has also filed lawsuits to stop other bad pieces of legislation. He is active, effective, and energetic.

In contrast, John Cox has lots of money and one decent idea: the neighborhood legislature, and from what I have heard, that issue is not going to make it onto the 2018 ballot. Cox also voted for Gary Johnson for President, and that's a big problem for me.

Laura Smith told me plainly that she has to win "the snowflake vote". Wrong. To view the wide swath of voter groups like that concluded to me that she will go along with the liberal flow when push comes to shove. She's out.

Stasyi Barth has reached out to me diligently and repeatedly to the point that it has gotten abusive. She has fellow conservative trolls who have commented on my Facebook Live feeds diminishing Travis Allen. She once told me at the Redlands Tea Party gathering in August that Allen is taking Charles Munger's money. Even if that's true, I don't care at this point, since Allen already has a solid, credible record that I trust, yet the one article that Stasyi mentioned was hardly credible to begin with.

Dr. Robert Newman was thinking about running for Governor, but he had refused to intimate to me how much money he had raised. One afternoon, he just shouted at me "Go to Hell!" and that was the end of it. He was deeply hurt that I am not supporting him for Governor. Politics is all about making choices, and getting behind the most conservative candidate who is electable. Newman had fanciful hopes, but not much else.

I stand with Travis Allen! GO TRAVIS GO!



3. Lieutenant Governor

This is the easiest choice in the bunch.

 I want David Hernandez for Lieutenant Governor! He is a hard-core, hard-hitting conservative who does not shrink away from a fight. He has stood strong for cultural and fiscal issues. He stands for God, guns, and goodness. In Los Angeles, a deep blue bastion which many see as a lost cause, Hernandez has fought for gun owners, animal rights activists, and small business owners of all backgrounds.

I can't wait to cast my vote for David Hernandez for Lieutenant Governor!

4. Secretary of State

We need someone who will tackle the rampant voter fraud eating away at the state and its election integrity. This is essential. So far, one Republican has thrown his hat into the ring: Mark Meuser. He wants to help conservative causes where possible, and is even launching the lawsuit on behalf of the Berkeley College Republicans against Yvette Felarca and her fascist organization By Any Means Necessary.

5. Treasurer

This race does not have a declared Republican ... yet. Sources have informed me and others throughout the state that Jack Guerrero, City councilman from Cudahy. He has a strong background in finance, according to public records, and he has a strong political pedigree as a conservative Republican who has won re-election in another otherwise deeply Democratic enclave.

There is no word about whether he will formally announce or not, or whether another Republican will advance an interest in the seat.

6. Controller

This office is the formal statewide auditor, and not much else. Betty Yee is the incumbent, and nothing has prevented her from mounting an easy election bid. one would assume that a well-entrenched Republican officer in the state party will put his name on the ballot just to have someone challenge her in the general election, but the interest in the race is slim at best.

To the best of my knowledge, a Republican has not announce a bid for this seat. It's possible that an accountant like Mario Guerra might put his name in for the office, since he is an official in the state party, for example. Stay tuned for more information on this office.

7. Attorney General

Steve Bailey is my choice. He has prior experience as a lawyer and a judge. He is committed to working with the Trump Administration's Department of Justice. He opposes sanctuary cities and will fight to protect the First Amendment of college students, both liberal and conservative, on college campuses.

The other candidate, Eric Early, is a puppet of the RINO New Majority "machine" headed by Andy Gimme-Candy. I say "NO!" to that.

8. Insurance Commissioner

Peter Kuo, easy as that. He works hard for the team, both the state as a whole as well as his state party. He cares about balancing budgets and ensuring the best for clients. He is an insurance salesman himself, and therefore very much aware of the whole profession and the challenges facing everyone who works in the system.

9. Superintendent of Public Education

So far, Marshall Tuck is the only palatable choice, a reformer not beholden to the corrupt labor unions and the corrupted Democratic Party. He ran for the office in 2014 and narrowly lost to Tom Torlackson. The last thing that statewide education needs is another union hack who does whatever they tell him to.

What do you think of my choices?

Am I out of line, or are there better candidates which I am not aware of? Let me know.

One exception: I am well aware of the many other GOP choices for Governor, and I am not changing my mind. Travis Allen is the solid choice for Governor!