UPDATED ON NOVEMBER 7, 2015; COMMENTS EMBOLDENED
On October 12, 2015, the Republican Party of San Diego County’s treasurer, Gary Felien, moved to suspend the endorsement rules and endorse the candidacy of Oceanside City Councilman Jerry Kern for 76th Assembly District (over businessman Phil Graham) and Escondido Mayor Sam Abed’s candidacy for County Supervisor (over Encinitas Mayor Kristin Gaspar). Felien suggested that because the two candidates attend party monthly meetings, they were worthy of early endorsement over the other two candidates. The GOP Central Committee voted against that motion and rejected the early endorsements of Abed and Kern.
Many Committee members think that endorsing prior to the June election, in Republican vs. Republican races, is unwise because it divides grass roots activists and sends a public message of cronyism. I said as much in my critique of last cycle’s endorsement process, here on San Diego Rostra. Early endorsements of one Republican candidates over another are sometimes a useful tool to unseat a wayward incumbent or to protect the brand from an unsuitable candidate, but restraint should be the standing rule.
My guess is that Felien will be up to his old tricks again this Monday night. I expect that he (or a surrogate) will move to suspend the rules and request early endorsements of Kern and Abed.
This is surprising. Neither Graham nor Gaspar are renegade candidates and both appeal to mainstream Republican voters. Mayor Kevin Faulconer, a California Republican success story, chose to endorse Graham over Kern and Gaspar over Abed.
Both Kern and Graham seem like solid fiscal conservatives. While Kern has a governing record on the Oceanside City Council, Graham has a much better plan to regain a majority in the California Assembly (Kern offered no plan). Graham has deep pocket connections for statewide fundraising and can leverage those contacts. I expect both would vote identically so it makes no sense to endorse either candidate.
Both Abed and Gaspar have governing records as mayors of their respective cities but Gaspar has a more conservative voting record. The Escondido Country Club debacle will haunt Abed in a General Election (“blocking permitted development because Republican voters live near it” will be the message). When Incumbent Supervisor Dave Roberts sends this message to Republican voters in the District, he will liken Abed to Donald Trump. Rejecting free market principles, and micromanaging other people’s property, will give Roberts ammunition to call Abed an “elitist, centralized planner like President Obama“. Yes… Dave Roberts WILL use that message because he appealed to Republicans in the District in 2012.
Gaspar voted for a deplorable resolution to “ban assault weapons” on January 30,2013 (Encinitas Resolution 2013-03). An identical resolution didn’t even make it out of “Public Safety Committee” in the City of San Diego because both Council members Zapf and Kersey saw it for what it was. The author maintains that the Central Committee shouldn’t endorse either candidate but retracts that Gaspar has a “more conservative voting record” than Abed. One candidate might help people steal your real estate but the other one wants to deny you your God-given right to defend your Life, Liberty, and Property. Neither candidate provides much of a distinction against the liberal incumbent Dave Roberts.
If Central Committee members really think they must endorse early in the Supervisors race, Gaspar has the more conservative voting record to distinguish her against incumbent Roberts. Still, I think the Committee should practice restraint in this endorsement.
Reject Felien and his surrogates’ plan to circumvent the endorsement rules and let these candidates work on their campaigns. They are legitimate Republican candidates and the last thing we need to do is to divide the grassroots … again.