Posted on 08/02/2006 1:28:02 PM PDT by calcowgirl
In the wake of strong news for former Governor Jerry Brown’s campaign for state attorney general in the Field Poll and in fundraising figures, the campaign of his trailing Republican challenger, Fresno state Senator Chuck Poochigian, sent out a volcanic missive. Poochigian chief strategist Ken Khachigian, a former Reagan speechwriter, attacked the Field Poll as pro-Democrat and promised a campaign to expose Brown’s “exceptionally erratic conduct of public affairs” and “bizarre political views.”
In a Poochigian campaign statement entitled, “Poll's Snapshot Blurs Brown's Fringe Extremism,” Khachigian claimed “evidence that the Field Poll today is once again skewed in favor of Democratic Party candidates,” which he did not provide, saying despite its findings, “it is still not a vote of the people.” Calling polls “snapshots in time,” Khachigian said Brown has benefited from “a snapshot that does not include the entire picture.”
With respect to Brown, now the popular two-term mayor of Oakland, the veteran strategist promised a campaign to expose “the exceptional danger of elevating to chief law enforcement officer one whose entire life in politics has reflected repeated contempt for common sense views of public safety, not to mention public discourse.”
A friend of Brown described the Poochigian campaign’s statement as desperate and “unhinged.”
Brown has large leads over the Republican candidate, a conservative former aide to Governors George Deukmejian and Pete Wilson, in polls and in fundraising. Brown leads the little-known Poochigian in the Field Poll, 54% to 33%.
The polling news for Brown was not unalloyed. His favorable rating was 45%, his unfavorable rating 36%, reflecting decades of controversy around his lightning rod role in state and national politics. Nevertheless, he has a better image score (ratio of favorable to unfavorable opinions) than either Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger or the governor’s trailing Democratic challenger, Treasurer Phil Angelides, despite their more fleeting experience in politics.
On the fundraising front, Brown had $5.2 million cash on hand at the end of the June 30th reporting period. Poochigian, who ran unopposed for the Republican nomination, had $3.6 million. In contrast, Brown had a very active Democratic primary opponent, Los Angeles City Attorney Rocky Delgadillo. Putting most of his money into TV ads attacking Brown, Delgadillo spent $4.1 million this year on the primary campaign, more than Poochigian’s cash on hand figure. Brown defeated Delgadillo, 63% to 37%.
Brown raised $1 million during the May 20th to June 30th reporting period; Poochigian raised nearly $550,000.
In the first six months of the year, Brown raised $2.3 million. Poochigian raised $1.4 million.
Brown spent only $1 million during the first six months of the year, while fending off the primary challenge of Delgadillo, who outspent the former governor by a four to one margin. Poochigian spent $600,000.
The numbers thus are strong for Brown. There is, however, a large cloud on his horizon. Oakland, long known as the toughest city on the West Coast, is experiencing a significant upswing in murders. Brown, who has had close ties to the Oakland police for more than a decade, predating his candidacy for mayor, is working on various interventions to reverse the new trend. But it certainly comes at a bad time.
Poochigian’s campaign has been pushing the Oakland murder rate relentlessly in press releases to the exclusion of all else -- including a positive message about Poochigian himself -- prior to Khachigian’s statement in response to the Field Poll. But in order to drive home this message, the Poochigian campaign is going to need more resources than it has. And it will have to aggregate those resources at a much faster rate than it has.
One rumored financial jump start has been a purported massive independent expenditure campaign by the U.S. Chamber of Commerce. But I’ve found no confirmation of it.
Indeed, at a recent meeting of the Republican Attorneys General Association -- the national group to help Republican candidates for state attorney general -- there was no mention of any such effort, according to a well-informed Republican source. So it remains to be seen how Poochigian and his team will execute the ferocious campaign promised in his chief strategist’s statement responding to the Field Poll.
I spoke to Chuck Poochigian recently about his campaign. He is serious about taking on Brown and pulling no punches. Khachigian is the one to do it. Stay tuned.
Poochigian can forget about getting Rose Bird's endorsement.
Yeah, I know I shouldn't speak ill of the dead, but Bird does symbolize Brown's attitude regarding law enforcement.
Any polling on McClintock's race?
Just the same twisted Field Poll
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1675738/posts
Are these real people or cartoon characters? What kind of names are these?
They are Armenian names. Why does it matter?
Armenian. Just like our prior conservative Governor Deukmejian.
From a prior thread:
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1652685/posts
Poochigian was raised on the farm, by parents who never went to college.
He is a native of Lone Star, a no-pretense speck of a place along the railroad tracks southeast of Fresno. His grandparents fled the Armenian genocide, and the family eventually settled amid the grape fields of Fresno County.
His mother still lives on the family's original 20-acre plot. Poochigian's father died two years ago at 90. One brother manages a farm. Poochigian owns farmland around Fresno County, and sent his three children to the same public schools he attended.
With an Austrian citizen as Governor, the foreign surname of a third generation American shouldn't even make a blip on the monitor.
Because the names were similar and were of a type I had not encountered before I was curious. Thanks cowgirl for the summary and background.
You're welcome.
We've go lots of good Republicans with Armenian surnames in California.
Howard Kaloogian is another.
The "ian" at the end of the name is a dead give away.
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