In 1980 he made a deal with Willie Brown et al to get a district drawn for himself that would elect him to the State Senate. The deal with the dems resulted in fewer Republicans in the State Senate and a decade where the GOP lost on every single issue that went to the senate.
Is this part of the 'smear Doolittle' to support Prop 77 campaign?
Interesting story, but apparently not supported by facts. He was only first elected to the Senate in 1980, and the Democrats redistricting effort, a year later, targeted his removal. Safe seat? It seems like everything but!
Dark-Horse Winner in 1980 Faces New Test
Los Angeles Times, Sep 29, 1982SACRAMENTO--Two years ago, an unknown conservative young Republican lawyer beat the venerable Democratic dean of the state Senate.
Now, Sen. John Doolittle (R-Citrus Heights), in political hot water because of reapportionment, is seriously challenged by veteran Assemblyman Leroy F. Greene (D-Sacramento).
Doolittle scored a major upset in 1980 by defeating Sen. Albert S. Rodda (D-Sacramento), who was supposed to be unbeatable, with a lot of money furnished by gunowner groups headed by Sen. H. L. Richardson (R-Arcadia).
Majority Senate Democrats got even by forcing Doolittle to run in two years instead of four under the 1981 upper house reapportionment plan.
They also sweetened the district by including more Democratic strongholds, and Greene, who has good local name recognition because he has represented Sacramento in the Assembly since 1963, was handpicked as the candidate.
The 6th Senate District now has a one-sided 57.9% Democratic to 30.3% GOP registration, which means that Greene should win.
(snip)
The Senate
Los Angeles Times, Nov 4, 1982(snip of election results)
Freshman conservative Republican John Doolittle of Citrus Heights never had a chance against Leroy Green (D) of Sacramento, the 20 year dean of the Assembly, after the Legislature's Democratic majoriy reapportioned Doolittle's upper house district in 1981 and forced him to run two years early in another heavily Democratic district. Doolittle still has two years to serve from his old district, however.
Here's the backstory. The senate has 4 year terms with half of the seats open each election cycle. Everyone knew the dems would use their power to reapportion to get their Sacramento based district back. So Doolittle and H.L. Richardson made a deal to renumber the districts so that Doolittle could stay in the senate even after Leroy Greene beat him. The districts were drawn so that incumbent Republican Ray Johnson would have to run against Doolittle. The old Johnson district was Chico and the upper Sacramento valley. They drew a district that snaked around from Chico through the foothills to Orangevale (an area they still call the Doolittle dip - I think it's his mormon church parish). Johnson's old district wasn't in the Sacramento media market so a majority of the voters in the new district had never known him. Ray Johnson was so mad at the senate leadership that he quit the party and ran as an independent. Doolittle won. But we had one less Republican in the senate.
In 1991 when Doolittle tried to make a deal with Willie Brown the entire party opposed him. The floor fight was led by CRA, YAF, CYR and county committee leaders. It looks like we're in for a repeat of that fight and I wouldn't be surprized if the same people are leading the charge.
Prop 77 has nothing to do with smearing Doolittle. The party regulars have been trying to pass a fair redistricting initiative for over 20 years. They know that nothing is perfect, but you've got to pass the best thing you can because the current system is completely and utterly horrible. Any active party member who opposes Prop 77 will be attacked. I think Congressman Doolittle knows this but he doesn't care what the party regulars think.