Gilchrist May Challenge Sanchez(47th District,CA)

orange county register ^ | 2/15/2008 | Martin Wisckol

[kellynla]

Minuteman co-founder Jim Gilchrist has taken out nomination papers to run as a Republican against Rep. Loretta Sanchez, D-Garden Grove. (H/T to theliberaloc.com for beating us to the punch on this.)

Do you think one of the nation’s best known anti-illegal immigration activists is going to have a chance in a district which includes Santa Ana, a city with the highest ratio of Spanish speakers in the U.S.?

Consider that Gilchrist lives in Aliso Viejo, which is outside of Sanchez’ district. That doesn’t prevent him from running, but he’ll face the tag of being a carpetbagger.

Consider that district is 43 percent Democrat and 36 percent Republican.

And consider that it’s far from certain that Republican leaders will rally behind Gilchrist, given his polarizing reputation and the fact that he ran as an American Independent for the 48th Congressional District in 2005. Republican John Campbell won that special election — Gilchrist finished third with 26 percent of the vote.

Gilchrist and Joel Story, a retired social worker who has also taken out nominating papers, have until March 7 to qualify for the GOP primary. The Republican nominee will then face an incumbent who is not only popular in her district, but already has $722,000 in campaign funds on hand.

[kellynla]

Eventhough the district has been gerrymandered since Bo Dornan was the representative making it more "D" than before, if the election laws are enforced and illegals are not permitted to vote, Gilchrist has a good chance of winning. The Hispanic citizenry are the most anti-illegal contingent in America. Illegals not only lower the quality of life in the neighborhoods but they pull down wages and take away jobs previously held by Hispanic-Americans. Add the Vietnamese-Americans who are overwhelmingly conservative, anti-communist, pro-life Catholics and other traditional conservatives and don't be surprised to see Gilchrist retake "B-1" Bob Dornan's old district. After all, Sanchez only won the election by 979 votes in 1996. Dornan tried to contest the election because of "illegal" votes but the GOP Majority refused to even investigate.

Finally, for the record, anyone calling Gilchrist a "carpetbagger" will have to face the fact that when Sanchez ran for the district in 1996 she not only didn't live in the district, she didn't even live in the county. She dropped her married name to draw the Hispanic vote and rented an apartment in the district leaving husband & children in L.A. Sanchez's husband was arrested in 1996 during the campaign for tearing down Bob Dornan election posters.

"Consider that district is 43 percent Democrat and 36 percent Republican."

The registered "I" turn elections in CA.

Go get her, Jim!

[kellynla]

ping

[AuH2ORepublican]

President Bush actually carried the district with 50% in 2004, a huge swing towards the GOP from 2000. Of course, he was able to do that by doing much better among Mexican-American and Vietnamese-American voters, and Gilchrist’s rhetoric may turn off many such voters. While you are correct that most Hispanic (ase well as Asian-American, for that matter) citizens are strongly opposed to illegal immigration, I don’t think the Minutemen are very popular among Orange County Hispanics.

I wish Mr. Gilchrist luck, but we’d have a much better chance of winning with a Hispanic Republican candidate who attacked Loretta Sanchez for her liberal votes on abortion, taxes and national defense.

[TBP]

And the same FReepers who blasted Gilchrist as some kind of fake conservaitve when he ran for Congress on the AIP wil praise him and demand that no one criticize him.

After all, he ha an R after his name now.

[Amerigomag]

All bravado aside, the inevitable will come true in California. First and second generation Hispanics, when achieving a plurality, will vote culturally. They will elect Hispanics.

I wish Gilcrest the best but I think his candidacy must be separated from anchor babies by two more generations before it could be successful. These new arrivals simply must be given time to be culturally assimilated and relax their almost defensive loyalty to their Mexican culture.

[concentric circles]

A Sanchez Christmas card, publicity guaranteed.

A 1996 INS investigation into Motor Voter fraud discovered that 4,023 illegals cast ballots in the election which seated Ms. Sanchez. Republican congressional leadership decided not to press the issue.

But that's water under the bridge, Gilchrist will have to sell a more conservative agenda to the district. If he plays his cards right he might win over the growing Vietnamese constituency. They are conservative but Brixey, err..., Sanchez has played to them by condemning Viet Nam's treatment of dissidents. She occasionally reminds the voters by "planning" a fact finding trip to Viet Nam which promptly denies her a visa, providing new publicity.

[kellynla]

“A 1996 INS investigation into Motor Voter fraud discovered that 4,023 illegals cast ballots in the election which seated Ms. Sanchez.”

And, as I stated earlier, she only won by 979 votes.

“Republican congressional leadership decided not to press the issue.”

“leadership” is laughable...Gingrich & company didn’t have the balls to contest the election and the lack of “leadership” by the GOP is the reason that 12 years later they were back in the Minority. No guts, no glory!

I’m no longer in the District but North of Edinger & East of Harbor Blvd. in Santa Ana is a Mexican gang war-zone and I won’t even get into the gang & crime problems in the cities of GG & Westminster where the Asian gangs proliferate.

I started to run for the district myself years ago(since I am a Viet Nam Vet & could brush up on my Vietnamese & Spanish enough to blow Sanchez out of the water), but I have more “baggage” than Delta Airlines! LOL

[johnthebaptistmoore]

He can do whatever he wants to do. Good luck, Jim Gilchrist, you will truly need it. He will viciously be called a “racist” and “evil” by both Sanchez and the MSM.

[jmyrlefuller]

Now this is the kind of thing we need.

One by one, district by district, we need to get the good people in Congress.

As much as I think Gilchrist is a corrupt S.O.B. (who only sought attention on himself when he made his dubious endorsement of Huckabee), I do not doubt his political policies.

I wish Mr. Gilchrist and the other Republican candidates this year all the best of luck. We’re going to need it, and all the support we can give them.

[svcw]

The Republicans did not do anything because they despised B 1 Bob.