Free Republic

Ernie Scherer of Pleasanton, who was found brutally murdered with his wife on March 14 in their home, has been elected posthumously to the Alameda County Republican Central Committee. Scherer had received 4,758 votes as of Monday’s tally at the Alameda County election web site. Voters were to choose six people among nine candidates and Scherer came in third place behind David Latour and Douglas Miller.The Central Committee must now vote to appoint someone to fill the vacancy.In order of votes, the other candidates were: Brian Eschen, Deslar Patten, Christopher Kuhn, Daniel Byards, Andrew Latour and Gregg Byars.The police still...

The stakes may be high for the six candidates vying for the District 15 Assembly seat of termed-out incumbent Guy Houston, R-San Ramon, but there may be more on the line for the four Republican candidates. With three-termer Houston being the only Bay Area Republican serving in Sacramento, the region's Capitol contingent could become GOP-free if the Democrats win District 15 in November. Four Republicans and two Democrats have been campaigning hard for the June 3 primary, each hoping to earn their party's nomination for the November general election. Both parties recognize the need for a candidate who can appeal...

The Republican free-for-all to replace retiring GOP Rep. John Doolittle is ugly and getting uglier, with the campaigns spending plenty to tag one candidate as a greedy carpetbagger and the other as a big-spending liberal. Those are fighting words in the Fourth Congressional District, which rambles from the Sacramento suburbs of Rocklin and Roseville east to Lake Tahoe and north to the Oregon border. Former Rep. Doug Ose and state Sen. Tom McClintock are brawling for the GOP nomination in a district where Republicans outnumber Democrats 47 percent to 30 percent and the incumbent is leaving after being named in...

WASHINGTON — Congressman Jerry McNerney, a freshman Democrat, has emerged as one of the Republicans' top targets in Congress this year, making the race in his district that rarity in California politics — a national battleground contest and a true tossup. In 2006, McNerney pulled off one of the big upsets of the year when he knocked off Republican Richard Pombo, a committee chairman who earned the ire of environmental groups. Now, efforts by the GOP to retake the district, which stretches from Stockton through Alameda County to Morgan Hill, ensures an expensive campaign and should be one of the...

WASHINGTON — Local congressman Jerry McNerney, a freshman Democrat, has emerged as one of the Republicans’ top targets in Congress this year, making the race in his district that rarity in California politics — a national battleground contest and a true toss-up. In 2006, McNerney pulled off one of the big upsets of the year when he knocked out Republican Richard Pombo, a committee chairman who earned the ire of environmental groups. Now efforts by the GOP to retake the district, which stretches from Stockton through Alameda County to Morgan Hill, ensures an expensive campaign and one of the state’s...

Peninsula GOP leaders asked Atherton Republican Greg Conlon "to take a bullet for the party," he said, and run against Jackie Speier in the special election to replace the late Rep. Tom Lantos earlier this month. The 75-year-old Conlon played the good soldier, dutifully finishing second with 9 percent of the vote, as Democrat Speier grabbed 79 percent for an easy - and expected - victory. Across the Bay Area, more Republicans are being asked to face that same electoral firing squad, marching into legislative contests where they have little or no chance of winning behind an increasingly tattered GOP...

LOS ANGELES, (AP) -- A splinter group of Republicans with ties to Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger and financed by six-figure donations will recruit candidates with hopes of reversing the party's disappointing record in recent statewide elections. Disclosure of the group Tuesday — California Republicans Aligned for Tomorrow — comes at a time when the California Republican Party has been struggling with financial and management problems and factional strife between moderates and conservatives. A list of supporters comes from across the party's political spectrum, but the organization appears geared to promoting Republicans who can compete statewide in a state that leans Democratic....

Bryan DeWinter spent his summer vacation in Israel, speaking with convicted terrorists at a maximum-security prison and venturing to the Syrian and Lebanese borders, where signs of the 2006 war with Hezbollah still remained. In Washington, D.C., he spent winter break meeting with Department of Homeland Security officials, analyzing government tactics to quell terrorist activities. Although young Democrats have dominated the spotlight this presidential election, helping to swell the ranks of new voters, college Republicans like DeWinter are just as impassioned about the 2008 presidential campaign. But instead of demanding a change of course from the Bush administration's policies, young...

Husband in double slaying had gambling, real estate, political ties; deaths appear 'motive specific,' official says -- The man who was killed alongside his wife in their Pleasanton country club home was a "complicated" and, at times, controversial local figure with political, gambling and real estate ties, those who knew him said. Ernie Scherer, 60, was a passionate conservative who once worked for former Republican Congressman Bill Baker. He dabbled on the professional poker circuit and was an active real estate investor who bought and sold homes across the country. "Local politics was as much a hobby to him as...

PLEASANTON -- A Republican activist and professional poker player and his university lecturer wife found slain inside their country club home in Pleasanton had been dead for several days before their bodies were discovered Friday, authorities said today. Ernest Scherer Jr., 60, and his wife, Charlene Abendroth, 57, were discovered at 12:30 p.m. Friday after their daughter could not reach them and summoned officials with the Castlewood Country Club association to the home at 18 Castlewood Drive. The couple had owned the home for about 18 months, a neighbor said. No arrests have been made, and authorities have not said...

I drove up to Auburn Tuesday to see Tom McClintock rhetorically throw his hat into the ring. "The ring" in this case refers to the 4th Congressional District, and the cliché is historically appropriate. Apparently derived from a frontier tradition of throwing one's headgear into a boxing ring to announce one's pugilistic intentions, it was popularized as a political term by Theodore Roosevelt in 1912. "My hat's in the ring. The fight is on, and I'm stripped to the buff," Roosevelt said as he announced he would challenge a heretofore fellow Republican, William Howard Taft, for the presidency. Which is...

State Sen. Tom McClintock, one of California’s most high-profile conservative Republicans, isn’t ruling out a run for the 4th Congressional District GOP nomination and a chance to replace U.S. Rep. John Doolittle, R-Roseville. McClintock, R-Thousand Oaks, was asked by the Journal whether he was considering a run for the Northern California seat, which includes Auburn. He was also asked through an e-mail sent to his office whether he supported any Fourth District candidate for the Republican nomination. Jennifer Cressy, press secretary for the senator, replied that McClintock has “received calls from supporters urging him to run for a variety of...

The cash-strapped California Republican Party is facing deeply divisive political and financial problems in this critical election year - beginning with a $3 million loan from a furious contributor who was supposed to have been repaid on Friday. The troubles of the GOP in the nation's most populous state - which backers of Sen. John McCain insist could be competitive in the fall presidential election - come at a crucial time. The California party convention is Feb. 22 in San Francisco, and conservatives and moderates will debate the platform and whether independent voters should be allowed to cast ballots in...

Just off the transom, State GOP Chairman Ron Nehring issued a hearty "congrats" to Senator McCain for his big win here in the Golden State: "Congratulations to Senator McCain for his victory across California today. Based on the results reported by the Secretary of State, Senator McCain has triumphed in every part of California, from the Oregon border to San Diego. California Republicans know how to win in our state, as Governor Schwarzenegger and Insurance Commissioner Steve Poizner demonstrated in 2006. While the contest for the Republican presidential nomination appears it may continue, we're confident the issues of this campaign...

Behind the scenes, Republican supporters of Arizona Sen. John McCain are grumbling about what they say was state GOP Chairman Ron Nehring’s glaring failure tonight to publicly congratulate the apparent GOP winner in California. (SEE UPDATE BELOW WITH NEHRING’S STATEMENT ON McCAIN’S APPARENT WIN.)Starting about 9:30p.m., media outlets projected McCain would take California but Nehring remained silent.Nehring, reached by phone a few minutes ago from San Diego, where the state party held its Election Night party, called it a non-issue and said he never planned to call the election himself or give a speech from the podium.“We will absolutely unify...

A day after Assemblyman Ted Gaines said he would throw his support behind Rico Oller for the Fourth Congressional District seat, Assemblyman Rick Keene announced he would also endorse the former state senator. Cliff Wagner, Keene's chief of staff said by phone late Thursday evening that the Third District Assemblyman is happy to support Oller. "Rico has been a strong voice for the district and has served its communities well," Wagner said. "Someone with his credentials and experience makes him the easy choice." In endorsing Oller, Keene, R-Chico, joins Gaines and State Sen. Sam Aanestad, R-Grass Valley, who were also...

That's the name of a new anti-Huckabee web site started by former Thompson staffer Darrel Ng. Jonathan Martin has more on the site: Now that his candidate is out of the race, one Thompson staffer has gone the next stop and is actively working against Huck. Sorta. Darrel Ng, perhaps the heartiest and most dogged of Thompson's aides and somebody who logged many a mile on the Fred bus, has launched a website called "Boycott Chuck Norris." Yup, Ng now wants people to show their disregard for Huck by not patronizing any companies that use Norris as a pitchman. The...

While the once-imperiled California condor has made a striking comeback, there is another ailing bird in the state that should probably be considered for the endangered species list: California Republicans. As the 2008 Republican presidential contenders turn their sights toward California on Feb. 5, they might want to take stock of the sorry state of the GOP in the Golden State. Registered Republicans now constitute barely a third of the electorate in the biggest state — 34 percent — a decline from 39 percent just two decades ago. Even in Orange County, regularly described as “the most Republican county in...

While the once-imperiled California condor has made a striking comeback, there is another ailing bird in the state that should probably be considered for the endangered species list: California Republicans. As the 2008 Republican presidential contenders turn their sights toward California on Feb. 5, they might want to take stock of the sorry state of the GOP in the Golden State. Registered Republicans now constitute barely a third of the electorate in the biggest state — 34 percent — a decline from 39 percent just two decades ago. Even in Orange County, regularly described as “the most Republican county in...

Rep. John Doolittle's decision to retire promises a Republican primary fight between political veterans and novices eager to take one of the few wide-open congressional races in California this year. While Doolittle narrowly fended off a Democratic challenge in 2006, analysts expect an easier time for whichever Republican emerges victorious in the June primary election. Doolittle, who is under investigation in a congressional lobbying scandal, announced Thursday that he will retire at the end of his current term, his ninth in the House of Representatives. He has retained solid voter support for most of his 17 years in Congress. In...

Ed Rollins is a nasty, nasty piece of work. Here he was tonight on Fox News: Rollins: The wise men like you who say Huckabee doesn’t have a snowball’s chance in heck - well, he can still go out and take his message to the people. And we’ve seen all the wisdom doesn’t live in Washington, and all the wisdom doesn’t live in the press corps.” Wallace: You can accuse me of a lot of things, but I would note we’ve had Mike Huckabee on Fox News Sunday several times— Rollins: —and we’re very grateful for the opportunity to take...

The son of the legendary Conservative Republican presidential candidate and Arizona senator, Barry Goldwater, produced a YouTube video endorsement of Ron Paul. Ron Paul responded “I am honored to have the endorsement of my friend, Barry Goldwater, Jr.,” said Dr. Paul. “Barry and his family have been giants in the fight to protect American values, and his support means the world to me.” In the video Barry Goldwater Jr. who served 6 terms in Congress with Ron Paul in highlights Paul’s honesty and integrity. Goldwater also said, “Ron Paul believes in a strong national defense but not being the policeman...

O come all ye Thompson faithful to the Laguna Woods Village Clubhouse 3 this Saturday for a rally for the presidential candidate. All the information you need is contained in this flyer, which you will need to show at the gate so you can see Fred. The closer we get to Iowa and New Hampshire, the fewer opportunities we will see these guys in OC, so now is a good time to catch Fred and any others who come around the Orange Curtain.

This could be the best news the House GOP has gotten since Rep. Barbara Cubin (R-WY) decided to retire. According to Hank Shaw's blog at the Stockton Record, it "appears" that Rep. John Doolittle (R-CA) "is about to" announce his retirement and will "ultimately endorse" state Sen. Rico Oller (R) to be his successor.

This is a particularly tough time for Congressman John Doolittle. Doolittle (pictured to the right) is in the midst of dealing with the taint of an FBI investigation of Congress that has included family business dealings with now-disgraced and imprisoned ex-lobbyist Jack Abramoff. Our hearts to go out to John and his family at this time. In America, we have a strong tradition in our courts that you are innocent until you are proven guilty. I would tell FR readers that having known John for nearly two decades, I don't believe that he is guilty of any crimes. That having...

Political pressure on GOP Rep. John Doolittle grew Wednesday as a fellow California House Republican said it would be best if Doolittle didn't run for re-election. Meanwhile, the chairman of the House Republican campaign committee pointedly declined to endorse Doolittle for the GOP nomination, saying that decision was up to voters. Doolittle, a nine-term conservative from Rocklin, is under Justice Department investigation in the influence-peddling probe involving jailed GOP lobbyist Jack Abramoff. His fundraising has slowed and he's drawing Republican primary challengers amid mounting concerns that he would not be able to win re-election next year despite the fact his...

For one day at least, Wyoming felt a little like New Hampshire. Three Republican presidential candidates, including former Tennessee Sen. Fred Thompson, made their pitch to the Cowboy State at a packed forum in Casper on Saturday. The newfound attention comes on the heels of a decision by the Wyoming Republican Party to move its county conventions up to Jan. 5, to be closer to the New Hampshire primary, traditionally the first in the nation. "It behooves all the candidates to pay attention to the state of Wyoming," said Joe Schloss, chairman of the Teton County Republican Party. A crowd...

A supporter of Rudy Giuliani's is throwing a party that aims to raise $9.11 per person for the Republican's presidential campaign. Abraham Sofaer is having a fundraiser at his Palo Alto, Calif., home on Wednesday, when Giuliani backers across the country are participating in the campaign's national house party night. But Sofaer said he had nothing to do with the "$9.11 for Rudy" theme. "There are some young people who came up with it," Sofaer said when reached by telephone Monday evening. He referred other questions to Giuliani's campaign. "I'm just providing support for him. He's an old friend of...

Thank you for visiting the website for my campaign for Congress. I firmly believe that our nation’s survival depends on patriotic Americans stepping forward to serve our country and to protect our shared values of family, faith, freedom and individual responsibility. This site is a work in progress and we will be adding new material and news about the campaign everyday, so please check back often. Margaret and I are very grateful for the support and prayers we have received as we embark on this campaign. Thanks again, Duncan

California Republican Party Chairman Ron Nehring faced sharp criticism Monday in the wake of the state GOP's immigration scandal involving its former top financial officer who resigned Sunday after news surfaced of his battle with U.S. immigration authorities to remain in the country. The party's board of directors hired Bill Christensen, a former statewide executive director of Victory 2006 -- a committee that aids Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger's fundraising efforts -- on Monday to fill the top GOP financial post temporarily. Christensen's appointment came after Michael Kamburowski, 35, an Australian native, resigned as the state party's chief operating officer. The Chronicle...

Bakersfield Republican Kevin McCarthy is building party clout and recruiting GOP candidates. WASHINGTON -- When House Republicans launched an early advertising blitz last month targeting 18 House Democratic freshmen elected from Republican-leaning districts in November, behind the scenes was Rep. Kevin McCarthy.Not only was the campaign McCarthy's idea, the Bakersfield Republican freshman helped finance it, writing a $10,000 check out of his ample campaign surpluses from his easy 2006 race to succeed former Rep. Bill Thomas.Democrats blasted the attack ads as "desperate and misleading." But according to Republican leaders, the ad campaign was a huge success and has added immensely...

Rep. Jerry Lewis' campaign committee failed to properly report more than $276,000 in stock earnings to the Federal Election Commission last year, campaign finance records show.

Republican sources on Capitol Hill and in California say Rep. Jerry Lewis, ranking Republican on the House Appropriations Committee who has been criticized on ethical grounds, will not seek a 16th term next year. Lewis came under fire last year for pouring millions of dollars worth of earmarks into his heavily Republican southern California district. He has not apologized and vigorously defended himself behind closed doors in the House Republican Conference. Lewis is one of at least six Republican House members from California who have faced ethical scrutiny, beginning when Duke Cunningham was sent to prison. Most recently, Rep. Ken...

Eric Egland, who helped Rep. John Doolittle defeat Democratic challenger Charlie Brown in November, said Wednesday that he is seriously considering challenging Doolittle in next year's Republican primary because the congressman is too damaged to win the general election. "The main concern of our district is that if Doolittle wins the primary, we will likely lose the seat to Cindy Sheehan Democrat Charlie Brown," Egland said in a telephone interview. Egland, a 36-year-old Air Force reservist from Roseville, says he was a lifelong independent voter before he re-registered as a Republican last year. Yet, he is picking up some important...

California Rep. Duncan Hunter is leaving the House after 14 terms to seek the 2008 GOP presidential nomination — and guess what? A certain Duncan D. Hunter is running to succeed him. But in a San Diego district that's virtually assured of electing the Republican nominee, a bevy of party hopefuls are lining up to block the family's succession plans in the 52nd District. Skip to next paragraph News and analysis on CQ.com CQPolitics.com Daily E-mail CQ Midday Update from Capitol Hill Congressional Quarterly Free Newsletters Brian W. Jones, a Republican councilman in the city of Santee, recently filed paperwork...

Former GOP assemblyman Dean Andal announced Wednesday his candidacy for Congress against Democratic Rep. Jerry McNerney in California's 11th District where Republicans suffered an unexpected upset in November. GOP leaders are eager to retake the Republican-leaning district that straddles the Central Valley and eastern San Francisco Bay area. The district had been represented by Republican Richard Pombo of Tracy, the powerful chairman of the House Resources Committee before his surprise loss to McNerney, a political neophyte. Andal, a Stockton resident who also previously served on the Board of Equalization, was the first to formally announce his candidacy against McNerney but...

Duncan Duane Hunter's goal of winning the San Diego-area congressional seat that his father will vacate after 14 terms has one new, major obstacle: He probably won't be able to campaign personally. Mr. Hunter, a 30-year-old Marine who has served two tours in Iraq, last week was recalled to active duty and expects to be in Iraq or Afghanistan when the election to replace his father, Republican presidential aspirant Rep. Duncan Hunter, occurs. But regardless of where his April 15 deployment orders send the artilleryman, he's still committed to running and representing his father's longtime constituents. "In fact it makes...

So far, two Republicans have emerged as likely challengers: Dean Andal, a former state assemblyman, and Guy Houston, a current assemblyman. Andal served in the legislature in the early 1990s and gained a reputation as a hardline conservative. Wysocki, who is working with Andal, called him "one of the most conservative members who ever served in the state legislature." He is expected to announce his campaign kickoff May 1. With Pombo's loss, Houston is the only elected Republican left in the Bay Area. He has a reputation as a pragmatic conservative. He is term-limited for 2008, and his local state...

Republican Duncan Duane Hunter stated Wednesday in an interview with a Capitol Hill publication that he is preparing to run for his father?s seat in California?s 52nd District in the 2008 election. And he enters with a unique asset that no one in the candidate field can top: He has the same first and last names as his father. As first reported by The Hill newspaper, the younger Duncan Hunter is planning a bid for the seat in the San Diego area?s 52nd District that his father ? a 14-term House member who chaired the Armed Services Committee and now...

When voters swept U.S. Rep. Richard Pombo out of office in November, that left Assemblyman Guy Houston the last Republican left standing.The affable, athletic 46-year-old legislator laughs when asked what it felt like to be the only Bay Area Republican in an elected, partisan seat.But the pragmatic Houston doesn't complain about his party's paltry Bay Area numbers.Instead, he points out the advantage: He can raise money without fear of treading on fellow Republicans' territory."I have more license than my Democratic colleagues," Houston said. "I can raise money all over the Bay Area."It's a classic Houston response, say those close to...

If Arnold Schwarzenegger had been born in Austin instead Austria, he might be president today. But because that office is denied him by the U.S. Constitution, he is concentrating on other things. He told me in a 45-minute interview in his office in the state capitol Thursday: He will not rule out running for future public office including U.S. senator or mayor of Los Angeles when his term as governor expires in January 2011. He will not endorse a presidential candidate until after the Republican Convention in September 2008, even though he thinks Rudy Giuliani and John McCain are strong...

CONTRA COSTA: Candidate says opponent planned smear tactics against her, an assertion he denies - Fearing the release of deeply personal information at this weekend's Republican Party convention, state GOP secretary Jalene Forbis has withdrawn from the race for party vice president. "Jalene got into this race with the best intentions and thought this was about helping the party," said her campaign manager, Steve Ding, former chief of staff for ex-congressman Richard Pombo. "But the antics and personal threats being used against her and her family have had a severe impact on her."Forbis' supporters say they believe that the camp...

By David Dreier SAN DIMAS, CALIF. In an election season as rancorous as this one, it can be difficult, if not impossible, to discern the truth. Attack ads and dramatic prognostications tend to obscure reality. Here are some hard facts that have received little attention: In the past year alone, job creation is up, the unemployment rate is down, the stock market is up - way up, gas prices are down and continuing to drop, real average weekly income is up, and the federal deficit is down dramatically. This is all very good news for you, your family, and your...

Republican officials filed a lawsuit Thursday seeking to have Democrat Jerry Brown disqualified from the state attorney general race because he doesn't meet a basic requirement for the post. The Brown campaign dismissed the claims as baseless. At issue is a requirement that candidates be admitted to practice before the state Supreme Court for at least five years immediately preceding the election. According to the State Bar's Web site, Brown was admitted to the bar in 1965, went inactive in 1992, reactivated in 1996, went inactive again in 1997 and has been an active member from 2003 to the present....

California's U.S. Senate race has tightened slightly, but not enough to furrow the brow of the Democratic incumbent. Easily absorbing a five-point decline in her lead since July, Senator Dianne Feinstein now leads former Republican state Senator Richard Mountjoy 56% to 34%.

The Silicon Valley Young Republicans Federated would like to welcome Top Gop Expert Dan Schnur. 1461 W. Campbell Ave, Campbell, CA View Map When: Tuesday, September 19, 7:00pm Phone: Call Svyrfc at 408 243 4761 Mr. Schnur will be discussing the Fall Election, Who will be running in 2008 and will be giving out his Gop predictions for the election year. I hope you can all join us Tuesday September 19th 2006 at 1461 W. Campbell Ave in Campbell. The meeting will start at 7pm. If you have any questions please contact us at GopRowen@hotmail.com or give us a call...

I've been scanning the news in the last few months about who the Republican party should key in on as far as a viable candidate for the upcoming presidential election. And it's not as far in the future as we might think.

The Silicon Valley Young Republicans Federated would like for you to attend this event this August.This is a funraiser to help raise funds for many Pro Troop causes. SVYRF Club Socials SVYRFC Annual BBQ Location: Sanborn Skyline County Park, Saratoga When: August 12, 2006 Registration: starts at 3pm Food: 4pm Program/Speakers: 5pm Clean-up: 8pm Confirmed Speakers: Claude Parrish, BOE member and Republican candidate for State Treasurer Mike Wasserman, Los Gatos town councilman, former Los Gatos mayor Elsie Gufler, Republican candidate for CA Assembly District 19 Larry Hileman, Republican candidate for CA Assembly District 24 Rob Smith, Republican candidate for CA...

Democrats are leading in six "down ballot" races for statewide offices although a significant number of voters remain undecided going into the November election, according to a new statewide poll released Tuesday. In the race for lieutenant governor, the Field Poll showed that Democratic Insurance Commissioner John Garamendi leads Republican state Sen. Tom McClintock, 48 percent to 38 percent, with 13 percent undecided. Oakland mayor and former Gov. Jerry Brown, a Democrat, also is ahead of his Republican rival, state Sen. Charles Poochigian of Fresno, in the race for attorney general. About 54 percent of likely voters chose Brown, 33...

Does anyone know how many votes Arnold get for his nomination and what was the percentage of increase or decrease over his votes last time? i was wondering if he got as many votes or did voting for a 3rd party this time effect a message to him that Republicans are looking for a change.