Posted on 11/08/2006 6:22:53 AM PST by calcowgirl
LOS ANGELES - Democrat John Garamendi won a close race for lieutenant governor, as Republicans faltered in their efforts to win statewide offices and gain power in Sacramento.
Garamendi, who currently serves as insurance commissioner, edged out conservative Republican state Sen. Tom McClintock, an anti-tax ideologue, in Tuesday's election.
Democrats also won races for California attorney general, treasurer and controller.
"The conclusion to be drawn here is that California is still a true progressive state even though it has a nominally Republican governor," Garamendi said.
With 93 percent of precincts reporting, Democratic state Sen. Debra Bowen had a slim lead in the race for secretary of state over incumbent Bruce McPherson, a Republican former state legislator appointed last year by Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger.
The state GOP had hoped to ride Schwarzenegger's popularity to victories in more statewide races - four years after Democrats made a clean sweep of the statewide ballot.
Republican candidates captured two executive offices on Tuesday - at least equaling their total going into the election.
Republican Steve Poizner, a Silicon Valley multimillionaire, defeated two-term Lt. Gov. Cruz Bustamante in the race for insurance commissioner, a setback for state Democrats. Poizner spent more than $8.5 million of his own money in the race.
He said he didn't think people saw insurance commissioner as a partisan post.
"I think voters on both sides of the aisle are sick of career politicians," he said.
His win came as Schwarzenegger was re-elected in his race against Democratic challenger Phil Angelides by one of the most lopsided margins in California history.
Democrat Jerry Brown, a two-term former governor and current Oakland mayor, won the race for attorney general against Republican state Sen. Chuck Poochigian.
Outgoing Attorney General Bill Lockyer, also a Democrat, became state treasurer by defeating Republican Claude Parrish, a member of the Board of Equalization from Los Angeles.
And Democrat John Chiang, a member of the state Board of Equalization from Los Angeles, won the contest for state controller against McClintock protege Tony Strickland.
Republicans account for 34.3 percent of registered voters in the state, compared with 42.5 percent for Democrats.
When Schwarzenegger rode the recall wave to the governorship in 2003, he became the lone Republican holding statewide office.
The Democratic grip on those constitutional positions was eroded further in 2005 when Schwarzenegger appointed McPherson as secretary of state after Democrat Kevin Shelley resigned amid fundraising and spending scandals.
In another statewide office, Jack O'Connell, a Democrat, was re-elected as schools superintendent in June.
I love Tom McClintock, but his race should be viewed as a high-water mark for a conservative in California. Conservatism is done in that state. It is no longer the state of Reagan and Deukmejian. Republicans have got to follow Arnold and move to the center, or risk never winning a statewide election again.
Tom had the unique distinction of being the only candidate that I voted for. With everyone else, I was voting against the other guy, rather than for the candidate.
I posted earlier that I thought Dan Schnur's "coattails" theory was an oxymoron. To think that the Democrats voting for Arnold would somehow mark the rest of the ballot with Republican candidates made no sense. Had any one of the conservatives won, however, they probably would have given all the credit to Arnold.
I think a couple of them had a real shot, but instead of being promoted by the Gub and the party, they were shunned publicly as the Democrats painted them as "extreme" because they didn't agree with Arnold on Global Warming, Huge Debt, etc.
Interesting to see that the name Cruz Bustamante carries such negatives.
I don't like it, but I'm afraid you're absolutely correct.
He would have been the next Reagan if the California GOP wasn't so busy whoring itself out for liberal RINOs.
And the 'extreme' right had nothing to do with it? Nor the phony ilk who pretend to be the 'extreme right'?
Thank you!
I knew that years ago. Why do you think I'm getting my family out of this liberal hellhole in the next few months?
California has a long journey ahead of it...and it's in a handbasket.
Pay no attention to 68 grunt. He's, as ElkGroveDan so aptly put it, one of those slopeheaded RINO dopes who doesn't think the party is far-Left enough.
The GOP GOTV effort, especially in Southern California, was simply a train wreck:
Turnout in Donk Strongholds:
Alameda County - 45.0%
Contra Costa County - 53.5%
Los Angeles County - 45.0%
Marin County - 51.8%
San Francisco County - 40.7%
Santa Clara County - 48.8%
Turnout in GOP Strongholds in So Cal:
Orange County - 36.7%
Riverside County - 34.5%
San Bernardino County - 36.8%
San Diego County - 43.9%
Ventura County - 36.8%
Statewide Turnout = 43.8%
Demonratz won everything and still you continue to attack the rino. The 'extreme right', the ilk herd, the phony conservatives, the fifth columnist disruptors have the key to ensure continued republican defeat.
You're a liar, and you and IlkGroveDan are just annoyed that someone is on to your fifth columnists tactics.
It makes you wonder if they weren't targeting households that would approve the bonds.
From their perspective, maybe it wasn't a train wreck.
:-(
*patting you on the head* Go have your tantrum somewhere else, child.
And you're gonna be dividing the base the whole time.
Actually, the bond brokers also make a killing. And those using the funds get plenty of new 'profit' opportunities. Even the unions make out grandly! The land-grabbers are salivating, especially since they can progress unrestrained without Prop 90 property protections.
Now-now, grunt. Don't make me pull this short bus over and come back there.
Poizner may be less of a Republican than Schwarzenegger. He was giving to Al Gore a couple years ago and wouldn't support Bush in the last election.
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