Make California Great Again: Reject Top Two Primary Fights

I am with Ron Nehring on this move.

Top Two has got to go.

Period.

No more of this jungle primary nonsense.

I want choices, and I want an opportunity to vote for a candidate more in line with my views.

In many cases, sadly, there is no Republican listed on the general election ballot. Most Republicans are not even bothering to run precisely because there is no guarantee they will make it into the Top Two--and that is especially disconcerting.

I still think of Nehring as somewhat establishment. Where was he between 2007 and 2011, since he served as chairman of the CA GOP?

I want to see more hard-core, punch-back leadership.

For this time, though, I am fully in agreement with Nehring.

Let us end Top Two NOW!

September 12, 2017 Dear Arthur,  You may have heard from some former legislators with the odd pitch that Republicans should preserve the deeply flawed "top two" primary system better known as Proposition 14. While we all respect those Republicans who have served in the legislature, this request is truly bizarre given what has happened to our party under this failed system. Proposition 14 should be repealed - immediately - so every voter in California has the opportunity to vote for a Republican in general elections. As you know, last year because of Proposition 14 California voters had the "choice" of voting for either liberal Democrat Kamala Harris or liberal Democrat Loretta Sanchez for U.S. Senate.  This is like choosing between vanilla and French vanilla. A choice between two Democrats is no choice at all. Under Proposition 14, literally millions of Californians have been denied the opportunity to vote for Republican candidates for Assembly, Senate, Congress, and statewide offices because only two Democrats were in the "top two." How can we possibly grow our Republican Party when voters do not have the option of even voting for a Republican candidate when most voters go to the polls in November? Since the adoption of Proposition 14 Republican strength in the legislature has dropped.  Many of the backers of the "top two" were convinced it would result in the election of more "moderate" Democrats.  Do you see any "moderation" by the Democrats in Sacramento? With Proposition 14 elections, the result has been the same old union dominated agenda of higher taxes for everyone, cap and trade, worsening regulations, more money wasted on high speed rail, and the list goes on. Meanwhile, our party has been left too often with no candidates, no representatives of our party, on the ballots for millions of voters. The solution to Proposition 14 is simple - every recognized party in California should have the ability to place before voters a nominee for every state and federal office in the November election.  To do this, Proposition 14 should be repealed, and replaced with a system that gives every voter the choice of casting a ballot for the nominee of any California recognized political party -- nominees chosen by voters in the primary election. California Republican Party delegates rightly and overwhelmingly voted to oppose Proposition 14 when it appeared on the ballot, and it's clear that opposition remains firm. Every voter in California should have the choice of voting for a Republican each November, for every state and federal office. I urge you to support every effort to repeal this failed system and restore meaningful choice in California elections. All the best,   RON NEHRING 2014 Republican nominee for Lt. Governor California Republican Party Chairman, 2007-2011

"Keep Top Two!": More Controlled Failure from the CAGOP Establishment

The California Republican Party is struggling for any kind of relevance.

We have grassroots leaders and activists like Carl DeMaio, Travis Allen, Joseph Turner, Robin Hvidston, among many others who want to make California Great Again for all California residents--citizens, men and women who live in this great country LEGALLY.

We want to see the political class go down and we want the public class of law-abiding citizens to see their power and prosperity restored in our great state.

Of course, the GOP Establishment seems more keen on losing gracefully, if such a thing is still possible.

Other friends and co-warriors in the movement call this perverse desire to lose "Controlled Failure."

California Republican establishment types are A-OK with losing, so they hitch their wagons to their least objectionable Democrat, as if that is going to make them have any power or influence at the table. What a sad commentary on what has happened to the once pre-eminent and influential California GOP.

Other blue states are seeing a kind of Red Renaissance. Even in Colorado, there are more Republican Congressmen and at least one US Senator. The state no longer has a Democratic trifecta, and for all intents and purposes it looks as though a Republican will retake the Governor's mansion after 8 years of Hickenlooper failure.

Even in Maine, there is a Republican Congressman in the northern part of the state for the first time in 20 years, and one Electoral Vote went to a Republican candidate, the first time any Republican electoral cast a ballot in nearly 30 years.

But California continues to witness GOP Decline.

This latest eblast will show why:

Dear Delegate, As former Republican state legislative leaders, we've each been responsible for electing Republicans. We know what it takes to win, and what's at stake. We're writing to strongly recommend that Republican delegates reject the current efforts to repeal Proposition 14. Repealing Proposition 14 right now would rescue California Democrats from their brutal and costly infighting, and would almost certainly unleash a potentially devastating tsunami of money against our Republican candidates, a tsunami that might put us in super minority status indefinitely. Just look at the facts. As reported by Cal Watchdog, over the past three election cycles, Democrats have spent a staggering $197 million on intraparty battles under Proposition 14. The Democratic infighting under Proposition 14 has become so vicious that Politico recently wrote that California's Democratic Party has plunged into "civil war," and the Chair of the Democratic Party recently warned that Proposition 14 is the "gravest danger" facing the Democratic Party. When your opponents are attacking each other, the best strategy is to get out of the way. It's difficult enough to win legislative seats when Democrats are currently outraising Republicans 3 to 1. You don't have to fully support the top two primary to realize that now is no time to repeal Proposition 14 and give the Democrats a $197 million dollar gift - enough to spend $3 million targeting every single Republican legislator in the State Senate or State Assembly. Our California Republican Party faces challenges, and the comeback won't happen overnight. But needed reforms are taking hold and the party is headed in the right direction in the long term. Whether you support Proposition 14 or not, we should all agree that it's a positive development that the Democrats are spending $197 million against their own candidates instead of against ours. Let's focus on rebuilding our party - not theirs. We urge you to join us in rejecting current efforts to repeal Proposition 14. Martin Garrick Assembly Republican Leader 2010 Sam Blakeslee Assembly Republican Leader 2009-2010 Bob Huff Senate Republican Leader 2012-2015   Robert Naylor Assembly Republican Leader 1982-1984 CRP Chairman 1987-1989 George Plescia Assembly Republican Leader 2006

This is leadership? "Let's just give up. let's just watch Democrats tear each other up. The Democratic Party is in a state of civil war, and they are spending their money away like crazy!" What this calculus fails to take into account is that the Democratic cronies have plenty of money. They will just spend more. They also don't realize that many of these races have no Republicans at all in key races. An unprecedented spent of contests in Los Angeles Count had no Republican on the ballot. By the way, why are Democrats in a civil war? It has nothing to do with the Top Two. It has everything to do with the disgust among Democratic grassroots operatives and the Democratic establishment, even though both sides of the party have no principles since they have been pushing for the rapid expansion of the government into our daily lives and refuse to honor their oaths of office. This Top Two insanity is bad on so many levels, but these creepy people are lining up with this loss and doubling down?! Statewide races do not have a Republican running, either--and donors are less likely than ever to donate because there is no guarantee whatsoever that a Republican will make it to the general statewide election! These liberals don't seem to understand that the Prop 14 mumbo-jumbo has deprived all political parties of power. The jungle primary has also removed choice for third parties, and those third -parties had enough influence to pull votes away from liberal candidates and help Republicans get elected/ The Top Two primary has made it even harder for moderate candidates to show some influence. Republicans are getting pushed out entirely. ENTIRELY. This is not leadership, and this is not vision. This is folly, pure and simple. I support the Stop Prop 14 initiative. I want to do everything that I can to send this jungle primary abuse. We need to re-enfranchise every voter and give them real choices! I have some questions: 1. Who got my contact information to send me this eblast? 2. Who is paying for this mass email campaign? 3. Why is former Republican leadership falling into line with this weak-kneed nonsense? 4. When will get rid of Top Two?