The Endorsement Race in California's GOP Primary

Thursday, November 19, 2009

With great trepidation, I tread again into the California GOP Senate primary, knowing that every post on the subject will inevitably trigger back-and-forth volleys . . .

The Chuck DeVore camp is determined to set its primary-race storyline as a classic "genuine conservative vs. mushy moderate" matchup, with their guy in the Pat Toomey/Marco Rubio role. When a batch of senators endorsed Fiorina, they chuckled at the support from a murderer's row of some of conservatives' least favorite senators: Susan Collins and Olympia Snowe of Maine, Lindsey Graham of South Carolina, and others who have irked the conservative grassroots from time to time: Lisa Murkowski of Alaska, John McCain of Arizona, Mitch McConnell of Kentucky.

But Fiorina's picking up support from some pretty darn conservative senators, too: Tom Coburn of Oklahoma, Jon Kyl of Arizona, and now, Oklahoma's other senator, James W. Inhofe.

DeVore has fewer endorsements, but perhaps ones that might carry more weight: Sen. Jim DeMint of South Carolina, Rep. Tom McClintock, and, they contend, almost 60 percent of California's elected Republican leadership.

UPDATE: Team DeVore notes Fred Davis, who heads Fiorina's online presence, is Senator Inhofe's nephew.

11/19 09:15 AM Share