San Diego mayoral candidate Carl DeMaio tried to pressure 7th District City Council candidate Rik Hauptfeld into ditching his campaign in an apparent effort at improving fellow Republican Scott Sherman’s chances of winning the seat, Hauptfeld said today in an exclusive interview with San Diego Rostra.
DeMaio’s campaign manager, Ryan Clumpner, issued a statement denying the allegation.
“He met with Rik once, and was very clear that he was not asking him to drop out of the race,” Clumpner said.
That’s not how Hauptfeld remembers it. Hauptfeld, a Tierrasanta resident who is a registered Republican making his first run for public office, said he met with DeMaio about 10 a.m. on Jan. 13 at St. Tropez bakery and bistro in downtown San Diego. The conversation initially revolved around children and common interests. According to Hauptfeld’s account, DeMaio then suggested that Hauptfeld run for school board.
Hauptfield said DeMaio told him that “he would put the machinery behind me to get me on the school board, because they could use one of their guys on the board.”
Hauptfeld said he wasn’t interested. According to the City Council candidate, DeMaio then suggested giving Hauptfeld a political job in the 7th District. That offer, too, was declined.
Hauptfeld, who was reluctant to grant an interview, said he was floored by what came next.
“He talked about me being branded with a scarlet `S’ for ‘spoiler,’” Hauptfeld said. “He went on to say that they would make sure I never hold public office in San Diego” if his name appeared on the ballot.
The conversation ended a short time later. Hauptfeld later met with his all-volunteer staff to discuss the matter. “They said, `f—k him. We’re moving on with this.’”
“Our campaign is not going to stop. We’re not going to be intimidated by this. In fact, we’re encouraged by it…we’re not going to back down.”
Hauptfeld added that his family had fled an oppressive socialist government in Yugoslavia in 1973. “We came to the United States to escape that, to achieve freedom, to leave oppression and intimidation behind. Those kind of tactics have no place in our political system and we’re not willing to participate.”
Hauptfeld and Sherman are the only Republicans on the ballot, and some are concerned that Haupfeld will siphon enough votes from Sherman – who has the backing of the party establishment – to enable Democrat Mathew Kostrinsky to take the seat. Kostrinsky has long been involved in San Carlos and Del Cerro neighborhood issues and was critical in the raising of more than $300,000 for a new playground and other improvements at Lake Murray Community Park. A former Chamber of Commerce executive, Kostrinsky is a registered Democrat who once served as an aide to U.S. Sen. Dianne Feinstein.
Hauptfeld is confident that he will win the election.
Interestingly, the treasurer for both the DeMaio and Sherman campaigns is April Boling, who lost the 2008 District 7 election to City Councilwoman Marti Emerald. Many people believe that had some lesser conservative candidates not been on the June primary ballot, Boling would have won the seat without having to face Emerald in a runoff.
The 7th District has since been redrawn; Emerald is running to represent the new 9th District.
Comments 53
Interesting. I was just told of an eerily similar story up in the Del Mar area. For a second I thought that’s what I was reading about and then I saw D.7. Full disclosure, I am a huge supporter of Nathan Fletcher, though this comment has nothing to do with that. And truth be told, I am not sure there is anything wrong with one member of a voluntary political association (whether Rep or Dem) asking another member of that voluntary group if they’d choose not to run. If DeMaio’s office has baseball bats or brass knuckles that would be different. But a respectful request doesn’t seem out of bounds. Now, I still think that Mr. Fletcher’s vision for the city–his more robust pension reform, his bicycle infrastructure plan, his plan to lead by inspiring the best in our employees–that vision is the one I believe in. But I don’t think if this story, or the one I heard the other day, is true that should be a problem. Or at least I am not clear why it would be, especially if he wasn’t using his official position to exert influence.
Isn’t it a common practice to get confirmation from a second source that this actually took place? You know like someone not from Hauptfeld himself?
Oguly?
Author
Don:
Thanks for the comment. As you no doubt read, I contacted Councilman DeMaio’s campaign. And, as noted in the second graph, the Councilman has a different recollection.
Seeing how only two people would know for certain what exactly transpired, I don’t know who else I should have contacted.
And, in case anyone is wondering, I do not work for any of the candidates running against Councilman DeMaio. I also don’t live in the new 7th District. Sadly, I was tossed into the 4th District as an afterthought.
More background about Hauptfeld in a December CityBeat article:
A third candidate, stay-at-home dad Rik Hauptfeld of Tierrasanta, is running as an independent. A 39-year-old native of the former Yugoslavia, his professor parents moved to Michigan when he was 2 to “escape the Socialist regime. My mom was the one who instilled in me to embrace democracy.”
Out of work from the construction industry since 2009, Hauptfeld—a self-described fiscal conservative—has also embraced caring for his three young daughters while his wife works. “Being around my kids so much just makes me want to contribute more to our community,” he said. “That’s what you’ll hear from me: community, family, kids.”
He does understand the challenge he faces against better-financed opponents, but he’s unfazed. “I’m sure they want this over in June and will fund-raise to intimidate others like me to quit. But when I mention to people that I’m independent, they really get interested.”
From 7/11/2011-12/31/2011 Rik Hauptfeld raised $1710, $500 of which came from someone with the same last name.
That took me about 3 seconds to find on the San Diego City Office of the City Clerk site: http://bit.ly/Am1nGx
Someone who raises $1710 in 6 months has pushed himself out of the race.
Also, nice to know he is a registered Republican now. At the October 12, 2011 Lincoln Club meeting he stated he was an “Independent” on the Lincoln Club candidate questionnaire. I still have a copy of that, by the way. When very politely (to the point of pity) asked to clarify whether he meant American Independent Party or Decline to State… he didn’t know. He just didn’t know. Awkward. That episode and a few others in that candidate interview were surreal.
I am looking forward to another interview of a fringe “candidate,” maybe Girly Girly for Mayor aka Rob Harter. He is registered SD Mayoral candidate. Enjoy his website. Thank me later.
http://girlygirlyformayor.com/index.html
I agree with Mr. Passons (on the issue, not candidates) and would love to hear the scoop on the similar story in Del Mar.
non-story
The poor guy doesn’t realize he has no chance. Or maybe he does and is seeking media attention to make up for his lack of resources.
Unless I’m totally mistaken, the post’s 4th-paragraph description of Hauptfeld as a registered Republican links to an article repeatedly describing him as an independent, never as a Republican. Here’s the headline and first three paragraphs:
District 7 Candidate: RIK Hauptfeld Raises his Independent Voice
“(Mission Times Courier, San Diego, CA) – District 7 candidate Rik Hauptfeld is running a grassroots campaign. Hauptfeld doesn’t have big contributors nor is he aligned with large organizations. “We need a change and a more independent voice,” he said.
“Hauptfeld said there are many people who feel the same way. When he attended a recent Allied Gardens Community Council meeting, he was buoyed by the number of people who approached him after his speech, which included an explanation of his independent status. “It was tremendously encouraging for me,” he said. “We’re about the community – we don’t have a bunch of money behind us.”
“As an independent candidate, Hauptfeld said he is maximizing free resources to get his message out there. . . “
#pretendjourno #yawn
Bradley:
You’re right… zero mention of Republican there. Anyway, maybe he registered Republican recently, but that link sure doesn’t help.
My only two detailed comments are found above. One is regarding public information (his $1710 fundraising total). The other is regarding something that happened publicly: his confusion about his own party affiliation… or non-affiliation.
Other than that, I will say I am 100% sure Mr. Ogul got schnookered by a figure of pathos.
I don’t think the issue is important enough to the race to verify that, or any other story I’ve heard about Mr. DeMaio and some of his choices. A campaign about ideas and ability is much more deserving of our attention. What do they think and what is their ability to work with others to make it happen. That’s what matters.
Even more interesting …
Hautpfeld’s own campaign site uses the slogan:
“The Independent Candidate for ALL of District 7.”
Yes, the word ‘Independent” is underlined for emphasis.
My quick Googling found only one reference to Hauptfeld as a Republican – on a LBGT Democratic Web site, and the link doesn’t work anymore.
If Hauptfeld is indeed a registered Republican, he’s sure doing a lousy job of communicating it.
Author
Brad, Ryan:
Thanks for the comments. You should also note that in the story you refer to, “independent” is spelled with a lower-case “i,” except in the headline, in which all words are capitalized. The fact that he wasn’t identified as a Republican in that story (to which I provided the link when I posted this blog last night) does not change the fact that he is, in fact, a registered Republican.
Hauptfeld describes his campaign as “independent,” as in independent of political parties. His political views as fiscally conservative, socially moderate. However, in talking with him, his social views came across to me as more Libertarian – very similar to yours, Brad.
In short, he is a fan of Rostra and a political conservative. And, again, I must repeat that I do not work for Mr. Hauptfeld, nor do I live in the reconfigured 7th District, nor do I work for anyone associated with any of of the mayoral campaigns.
Finally, in response to a couple of the snippier comments about me, I should point out that I’ve been a professional journalist since before many of you were old enough for nap time in kindergarten. I’m not talking about Mr. Fikes, though. We’ve been friends since our days at San Diego State.
Hope all is going well with you, Brad. We need to grab a beer sometime.
David:
Given that Hauptfeld has raised less money than the Girl Scouts in front of the Clairemont Vons, I assumed neither you nor anyone else was paid by Hauptfeld.
Thanks a lot Ryan, I looked at the girlygirly link, I CAN’T GET THAT TIME BACK!
Otherwise, it was pitiful when the Lincoln Club asked him about his registration…
This happens all the time.
Hey David,
Thanks for the explanation. What was puzzling is that your statement that Hauptfeld is a registered Republican linked to a story that didn’t back up that statement.
That’s easy to fix. Just change the link to the source you used to establish his GOP membership (voter registration, secret decoder ring, etc).
Beer’s on me.
As the guy at the Lincoln Club who asked the “independent” or “American Independent Party” question, let me say that this was a fellow who, months into his “campaign,” had done little homework on the issues or the race.
Nice guy, but not a serious candidate. We got the sense he had time on his hands (not gainfully employed) and thought it’d be fun to run — and profitable to win.
Indeed, it demonstrates the problem when the city subsidizes candidates with no filing fee and a free candidate ballot book statement (worth probably $1,000). We get “looky-loo” candidates. Or rather, “looky-ME” candidates. If his paper candidacy results in a runoff in November, the cost to the city goes up again.
Fortunately our city’s structural budget deficit is fixed (source available upon request), so such wasteful spending is no problem here at Enron-by-the-Sea. Or was it “bay”?
Geez… everyone’s so snippy!
Spin Zone: the author specifically says that Rik Hauptfeld was reluctant to give an interview. About something that happened three months ago. So he hasn’t exactly been knocking down doors trying to get someone to cover it.
And Ryan Purdy, I am sure you’ve heard of people who are simply “independent.” Not members of the American Independent Party and not “declining to state,” but simply . . . independent.
Anyway, this is a race for council member, not POTUS. Some candidates are slick, well-funded party affiliates with worlds of knowledge about the nuances of political affiliation. Some are local community members, running mostly on their own dime, because they want to make a difference. There’s nothing “awkward” about just calling yourself “independent” because you feel unaffiliated to either party and just want to run on your own merits.
I am proud to be one of the people who contributed to the $1,710 Rik Hauptfeld has raised , if indeed that’s his total (not the one who gave $500 though :-)).
Ms. Right:
hahahaha… I thought since we were wasting time on a non-factor candidate in D7, we may as well waste some time looking at the far more hilarious non-factor candidate in the citywide SD Mayoral race. So Girly Girly for Mayor does not have your support?
Funny… No one questions a candidate with money, but one like Rik comes along and all the sudden he isn’t serious enough.. or has enough time to run for office? Really???
Sandy:
If you’re a “musician” but you can’t get any one to part with a buck on itunes to buy your songs, then you don’t have a following.
If you’re a “novelist”, but you can’t get any one to part with $9.99 to buy your novel on Kindle, then you don’t have a following.
If you’re a “candidate” and you can’t get more than a few people to part with their money on your behalf, then you don’t have a following.
It’s just a reality that adults, heck even Girl Scouts, have to deal with. If you can’t get people to separate themselves from their money for your product/service/brand or image… then you don’t have a following.
Even wealthy candidates who cannot raise money on their own get slapped by this reality when they don’t get elected.
The political landscape is littered with the carcasses of those that believed themselves to be serious, but didn’t understand that to be competitive one has to be able to effectively get their message to the voters. There are a variety of ways to communicate a message, but to do so at a level to have an impact, thus making one competitive, a candidate has to have resources. The fact that Mr. Hauptfeld has virtually none doesn’t mean he isn’t a nice guy, or even one with good ideas, it simply means that he has no chance of winning whatsoever. Guaranteed. Now, whereas the mainstream media may be in a position of needing to give equal time to all candidates, regardless of capability, I’ve always seen Rostra as a place where political reality is taken into account. Yet, the above discussion may be more attention than some candidates are bound to receive elsewhere in an entire campaign. Food for thought.
Author
All good comments, but too much of this discussion has veered off topic. The story is not about whether or not Mr.. Hauptfeld is a “serious” candidate. The story is about whether or not Mr. Hauptfeld was pressured to drop his campaign for fear it would hurt another candidate.
As someone who spent a couple decades as a reporter and editor on the crime and public safety beat for three daily newspapers in Southern California, I’m more than aware of the classic “he said, she said” challenge to this allegation. Mr. Hauptfield may be exaggerating. He may be making it up. Or he may be telling the truth. Whether he is exaggerating, making it up or telling the truth is more important than whether he has a snowball’s chance in Hell of winning the 7th District seat. But his candidacy does have better than a snowball’s chance in Hell of affecting the outcome in this race.
Combine that fact with the fact that Mr. DeMaio and Mr. Sherman share some of the same campaign resources – including their treasurer, that Mr. DeMaio and Mr. Sherman both have the backing of the local Republican party, and that Mr. DeMaio has officially endorsed Mr. Sherman for the 7th District seat, I wouldn’t be so cavalier about his interests in this race.
All that said, do I personally believe that Mr. DeMaio threatened Mr. Hauptfeld? Probably not. But I personally never believed that Barack Obama had a chance of winning the presidency either.
David,
If “Hauptfeld was reluctant to grant an interview”, as you report, why did you overcome that reluctance in order to get the interview? Did you already have a tip that there was a sensational story here? You say yourself Hauptfeld didn’t come to you willingly. You sought him out.
You did not report that Hauptfeld ALLEGED “Carl DeMaio tried to pressure 7th District City Council candidate Rik Hauptfeld into ditching his campaign in an apparent effort at improving fellow Republican Scott Sherman’s chances of winning the seat”. You went right ahead and reported that “San Diego mayoral candidate Carl DeMaio TRIED TO PRESSURE (my emphasis) …..”.
My problem with this kind of “news” is that you are trading on your history “as someone who spent a couple decades as a reporter and editor on the crime and public safety beat for three daily newspapers in Southern California”.
There is a danger that we the readers will impute the same credibility to you now as a freelance without the editorial checks formerly provided by those “three daily newspapers”.
With so many ex-journalists kicking about trying to make a living as freelance reporters, or as PR for various organizations, we the consumers of “news” need to be on our guard.
Translation for those who still live on planet Earth:
-“Don’t worry your little heads. The #pretendjournos are here to here to save the day for the government unions by serving up all kinds of slop under the guise of “journalism” to distract those pesky taxpayer-centered reformers so just shut the heck up and lap up what we’re serving.”
Newsflash: Those games don’t work anymore. The Taxpayer Revolution has arrived!
Pat Flannery:
Extraordinarily well said.
Pat,
In all fairness, David did say in the last part of the sentence that the account was according to Hauptfeld:
“. . . Hauptfeld said today in an exclusive interview with San Diego Rostra.”
Perhaps that construction was too obscure and gave too much weight to Hauptfeld’s claim for your taste, but that’s a difference of opinion, not of fact.
I am much more interested in David explaining how he verified that Hauptfeld is indeed a registered Republican, and when Hauptfeld registered as one.
David stated Hauptfeld’s Republican registration as a fact. I don’t doubt this. But David didn’t show his work. In the blogosphere, we’re supposed to explain how we know such things, if they are not matters of common knowledge. It would end a lot of the speculation here.
Author
Thanks for the childish comments, Tony. I’ll remember you in my will.
To Tony Krvaric:
The “About” section on this website (SD Rostra) states:
“The Rostra originates from the word Rostrum, a forum in ancient Rome where citizens would come to voice their thoughts, concerns, and critiques about society. Many of history’s giants spoke from the Rostra, including Cicero, Julius Caesar, Brutus and Cassius, among others. SD Rostra brings back the spirit of public thought and debate that existed in Ancient Rome.”
I am confused about your “#pretendjourno” reference – this is not a journalism website, but a place where individuals can voice their thoughts and concerns.
Are you disinterested in thoughts and concerns of ordinary citizens? If so, I am even more confused about why you are the leader of San Diego’s GOP Committee. Isn’t the GOP Committee supposed to represent its citizens (e.g., people like me)? So, if this is true, then, shouldn’t you be interested in the concerns of citizens – particularly those concerns of GOP citizens?
An open letter to David:
As an SD Rostra rookie, it is undeniable that you hit it out of the park. You have 30 comments and counting… and you even got some love from the left wing of the SD twitter-sphere. Though, tellingly, I didn’t even see Fletcher fans jumping to your defense.
Indeed, I am one of those who was probably in Kindergarten when you started your career in journalism. However, I have been on SD Rostra far longer than you. So, a personal experience: I wrote one article on SD Rostra roughly a year ago that contained one line (actually, I think one half of one line) that was speculative and not provable regarding an event I actually attended. People (even a couple of friends) jumped all over me for it. I wished I hadn’t written that one half of one line. It was a mistake.
Now imagine those same diligent readers wake up one day to see that Gossip Girl and SD Rostra had a baby and it was called: “Council Candidate Says DeMaio pressured Him To Drop Out.” Those readers would ask intelligent questions about an ENTIRE article of hearsay… Even their snarky comments would be cleverer than most anything I have seen under the UT’s online articles. If you had heavily laced your article with words like “alleged” and “claimed,” you would have received far less flak.
Also, I am increasingly more proud not to be a “journalist,” just a mere citizen journalist. However, I thought it was a solemn credo in journalism to “follow the money.” I did. Hauptfeld has neither money nor name ID. At least you got him some of the latter, for free, which at least fits his campaign budget.
Mr. Purdy – jokes on me. I agree with Mr. Rider, Mr. Jantz and Mr. Krvaric, they all raise excellent points that we should all consider. Just hope Sarah saves her $$ in the future.
Author
Brad:
Regarding the verification of his Republican registration, the source is the Registrar of Voters database. You guys at the NC Times should have access to it. Anyway, he’s registered as a Republican. Sadly, for some, I can’t link to it because databases such as those were put off limits to the general public some years back over privacy concerns. They allow exceptions for certain figures, including reporters. Not the #pretendjournos that Tony is so fond of, however.
Sorry for the delay in the response. Alas, I was tending to my many paying clients and have been busy.
I’ll take you up on that beer, too.
Thanks, Dave. I’ll be in touch on the beers.
I am glad you said how you knew Hauptfeld is a registered Republican, because it is not common knowledge. These things must be spelled out explicitly or people will hound you on them. Readers want to know how you know, as Ryan’s recent comment eloquently stated.
The main assumption in your article is that DeMaio didn’t want Hauptfeld to run because he would split the GOP vote. This is inconsistent with what we know about Hauptfeld’s having repeatedly identified himself as an independent, as he did in this CityBeat article.
It’s unclear to readers, including myself, how if Hauptfeld was not advertising his GOP status, why DeMaio would be concerned about Hauptfeld’s splitting the GOP vote. If people think he’s an independent, he could just as well split the Democratic vote.
In other words, your post as written doesn’t back up your fundamental premise about DeMaio’s motivation.
I can think of a couple of explanations that make sense. Perhaps Hauptfeld has recently switched to the GOP, or perhaps you learned of his affiliation to you, and you were fortunate enough to get the scoop.
I’m assuming Hauptfeld first told you of his party affiliation, and then you checked the voter registration. If I’m wrong on this assumption, please let me know. Because if Hauptfeld is not publicizing his GOP ties in a race that is technically nonpartisan, how would people know?
So two big questions remain to be answered:
1: To your knowledge, did Hauptfeld publicly say that he is a Republican before your article was published?
2: When did Hauptfeld register as a Republican?
One more observation: Ryan Purdy was spot on that anything smacking of hearsay or unverifiable by the readers will be strongly challenged. You wrote:
“Hauptfeld and Sherman are the only Republicans on the ballot, and some are concerned that Haupfeld will siphon enough votes from Sherman – who has the backing of the party establishment – to enable Democrat Mathew Kostrinsky to take the seat.”
Who are the “some” who are concerned Hauptfeld will siphon votes from Sherman and not from Kostrinsky? Again, this is not common knowledge, and should be sourced. Names would help.
I suggest you either add to your blog post to include this information, or make a follow-up post giving all your evidence.
Tell the readers how you know anything that’s not common knowledge, either explicitly or by linking to the source. That’s expected in the blogosphere, which if it had a physical location, would be in Missouri.
Best,
Bradley
Mr. Ogul:
You’ve made much of Scott Sherman and Carl DeMaio having the same campaign treasurer, but you don’t mention the more meaningful coincidence: that the Targets of your attack article are both officially endorsed by the SD Republican Party.
Isn’t that an interesting coincidence? Yet, now you are surprised that Republicans commenting here assume you have a Political agenda, and that agenda is hostile to the SD Republican Party.
You chose what your 1st Post here would be, not us. You chose to make your debut article hostile to the conservative cause, not us.
It would be different if your accuser had a corroborating witness, or some email or letter to back up his claims. But you have offered no corroboration.
Since your background is in journalism, not politics, you don’t know that 2nd-Tier candidates who blame “Them” for their lack of support are a Dime-a-Dozen, and always have been.
You’ve labeled yourself with this column, and the rest of us will give little credence to whatever you write in the future. You did that to yourself, no one else.
Perhaps like the Vincent Van Gogh photo above, you too have only one ear, and it is tuned to the anti-conservative network.
Pat F- The answer to your question about whether Ogul was tipped off can be found on his twitter account:
“I’m hearing from good sources that Hauptfeldt is being ordered to ditch Dist 7 race to help Scott Sherman, or else. #citycouncil”
https://twitter.com/#!/ogul/status/178199691685662720
“Had a brief talk with 7th Dist. City Council candidate Rik Hauptfeld, who is being pressured to drop out to help Scott Sherman. Will update.” https://twitter.com/#!/ogul/status/178233080870486017
Bastinda,
Thanks for that info. It would be helpful if David gave some more details about his sources. As a voter in the 7th District, I personally want to get as much information as possible on these points.
Assuming David doesn’t want to reveal the identities of his sources, he should at least be able to divulge:
— What party the sources belong to
— If they are Hauptfeld supporters, and
— Whether or not they support DeMaio for mayor.
These facts help me determine their motives, which is important to consider when assessing the story.
And I’m still bewildered about how Hauptfeld could possibly be considered a Republican rival to Sherman, when Hauptfeld has heretofore avoided identifying himself as a Republican. David needs to explain how this could be.
The City Council races are officially non-partisan, but it’s generally easy to tell who belongs to which party. Sherman, for example, has the GOP endorsement, and Kostrinsky’s endorsement roster is a long list of well-known Democrats.
Hauptfeld is either a *very* recent GOP convert or deliberately kept his affiliation hidden from questioning last year by Richard Rider and other grizzled politicos. It just doesn’t make sense, which is why David is getting such a grilling.
This is a lot of territory to cover, but thankfully blogs don’t have space limitations.
Bradley,
Whether or not Hauptfield is a Republican is beside the point. The more candidates there are in the race, regardless of party affiliation, the more likely that no candidate will get more than 50% in the primary and that the election will then be decided in November. As a general rule, and definitely in a year where there might still be a meaningful Republican Presidential primary, the Republican candidate has a much better chance to win a head-to-head match-up in June than he does in November. The Boling-Emerald race is a great example of this.
Author
Bradley:
Are you nuts? No reporter divulges his sources. You should know better. Plus, it makes for better conjecture. Very entertaining stuff here.
If you want to discuss this over some beers, you said you’d buy.
Alger,
Whether or not Hauptfield is a Republican is beside the point.
“Hauptfeld and Sherman are the only Republicans on the ballot, and some are concerned that Haupfeld will siphon enough votes from Sherman – who has the backing of the party establishment – to enable Democrat Mathew Kostrinsky to take the seat.”
David,
Are you nuts? No reporter divulges his sources. You should know better. Plus, it makes for better conjecture. Very entertaining stuff here.
I specifically acknowledged that you probably wanted to withhold the actual names. That’s why I said:
Assuming David doesn’t want to reveal the identities of his sources, he should at least be able to divulge:
– What party the sources belong to
– If they are Hauptfeld supporters, and
– Whether or not they support DeMaio for mayor.
These points help us judge the credibility of your sources.
Since your post is based on unverified statements, and is contrary to what’s known about Hauptfeld discussed in the comments, the burden of proof is on you. Being so flippant about “conjecture,” will give you a bad reputation here.
In the blogosphere, people notice whether you’re being responsive or evasive. You can’t just ignore or misinterpret questions without being called on it. You are evading these questions.
You’ve also ignored my questions about:
–When Hauptfeld became a registered Republican
— When that fact became publicly known
— How Hauptfeld could draw more votes away from Sherman than Kostrinsky, if voters don’t even know Hauptfeld’s party registration.
No matter how respected you are in journalism, Rostra judges you on the strength of your reporting here.
You’re back at school, David, back at the Daily Aztec, and need to prove yourself all over again if you want to be believed.
Bradley,
To win the election outright in June takes 50%+1. It doesn’t matter how many votes Hauptfield takes from Sherman; if Kostrinsky doesn’t get 50%+1, there will be a run-off in November.
The more likely scenario in June is that Sherman actually has a chance to win outright and avoid a November election when the Democratic turnout figures to be much higher. Take this hypothetical: In a two-person race in June, Sherman gets 51% of the vote – game over. Let’s say, however, that in a three-person race Hauptfield would get 4-6% of the vote. Even if he runs as an independent, it is likely that at least 1% will come from voters that otherwise would have voted for Sherman and that will force a run-off in November.
Adding Republicans to the race makes it no more likely that Kostrinsky will win in June and no more likely that Kostrinsky will win in November since there will only be one Republican in that election. What adding anyone to the race does is make it more likely that there will actually be a November election and that fact certainly doesn’t favor Sherman.
In our humble opinion, Bradley is not arguing Alger’s points, while Alger is arguing points Bradley isn’t making.
Bradley is simply questioning the post’s contention that “…some are concerned that Haupfeld will siphon enough votes from Sherman – who has the backing of the party establishment – to enable Democrat Mathew Kostrinsky to take the seat.”
Bradley doesn’t appear to be arguing the logic of that, or of Alger’s logic, as much as he is simply asking for proof of the post’s assumption, backed up by the “some are concerned” statement.
T.A.,
You are probably correct. My point was simply that it doesn’t matter whether Mr. Hauptfield is a Republican, Independent or even a Democrat. His presence hurts Sherman’s chances. In fact, it probably would have been wise for the Democrats to find a second candidate who could garner a few percent of the vote to help ensure that no one got the needed 50%+1 in the primary.
TA,
Precisely.
Alger,
You’re assuming that Sherman is likely to finish ahead of Kostrinsky, so a crowded field works in the Democrats’ favor.
Some quick Rostra searching found evidence to the contrary, in a post regarding redistricting: http://sdrostra.com/?p=15971
In this situation, both parties would then have to recruit a candidate to run for the new District 7, which now turns from a “toss up” district to a “leans Democrat” district. The new District 7 dilutes the Republican powerhouse of Clairemont Mesa, and has more Democratic votes from Mission Valley, Serra Mesa, SDSU and the College Area.
Caution: This post was made last May, and District 7’s boundaries may have changed. But if the new district does indeed lean Democratic, then it’s Kostrinsky who has the best shot of winning the primary outright — and Republicans should welcome as many challengers as possible to dilute his vote.
I know we’ve got many experts here who can speak to District 7’s demographics, so maybe we’ll get some definitive answers.
Bradley,
If the district leans Democratic in June, it will lean much more Democratic in November. Sherman’s best (though clearly not only) opportunity is to win outright in June.
Hi Brad:
That analysis fit the “state of play” as of May 2011, but the final Map adopted August 25, 2011 was completely different. For an example, SDSU and the College Area are now in Dist. 9, to which Marti Emerald exited some time ago.
District 7 now comprises San Carlos, Allied Gardens, Tierrasanta, Del Cerro, Navajo, Grantville, Misison Village, Serra Mesa, Linda Vista and Mission Valley. In the past, San Diego State and Rolando-Redwood were the heavy Democratic neighborhoods in Dist. 7. With their exit, District 7 now leans substantially Republican.
You can see the new District 7 map here:
http://www.sandiego.gov/redistricting/pdf/2011/2011MapD7.pdf
Bastinda,
Good catch on @ogul’s Twitter account https://twitter.com/#!/ogul/status/178199691685662720.
Thanks. That helps a lot. I checked it out and discovered that Jess Durfee re-tweeted it. ‘Nuff said. I think David Ogul’s credibility is about shot on this blog.
Jim, thanks for that update about District 7 being GOP-leaning.
I checked the map, and I’m still in the district.
I put in a good word for David Ogul as a Rostra blogger, so I regret about not being more careful in my endorsement. And to be fair to David, I regret not telling him what to expect here.
David treated the challenges as an affront, instead of an opportunity to establish his credibility as a newbie Rostrafarian. He thinks that because of his journalistic background, that stuff is beneath him, and people should accept what he says is true, even if it’s not independently verifiable and goes against other evidence.
David didn’t grok that in the blogosphere, your reputation is only as good as what you write. That’s especially true with a conservative/Libertarian blog like Rostra that doesn’t necessarily regard journalists as God’s gift to democracy.
In the traditional journalistic world of bygone days, the reporters said, “that’s the way it is”, and the readers were supposed to accept it. A few might get letters to the editor or a commentary published, but it was mostly a one-way communication.
But for those writing in the blogsophere such as at Rostra, the readers share that power. In a way, the readers are even your bosses, because they judge your credibility as a blogger.
The role of commenting is a big part of what makes blogs succeed or fail. Good commenters and dialogue with the bloggers are the lifeblood of blogs. That is what has made Rostra so successful. There are a plethora of informed bloggers and savvy commenters.
That’s something traditional journalists have enormous difficulty accepting. They generally hate having comments with their stories. They ignore the comments as much as possible, then complain when the comments turn into the predictable cesspool.
I assumed David knew all this, and that was a bad assumption on my part.
Mr. Fikes has covered a lot of ground here: about journalism, blogs, and continuing changes initiated by the internet. And his analysis is all valid.