The Buzz: Guards pony up cash to fight Democrat's state Senate bid

SacBee: The Buzz ^ | 10/21/10 | Dan Smith

[SmithL]

In the wake of a pension deal Democratic leaders struck with Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger, California's prison guards union has dropped $215,000 to oppose Assemblywoman Anna Caballero's quest for the state Senate.

Caballero, D-Salinas, is facing Ceres Mayor Anthony Cannella, a Republican, for the 12th Senate District, probably the most contested seat in the Legislature. The race is the top concern for both Senate President Pro Tem Darrell Steinberg, D-Sacramento, and his GOP counterpart, Senate Republican leader Bob Dutton of Rancho Cucamonga. If Caballero wins, Democrats would likely have 26 seats in the upper house, one short of the two-thirds majority now needed to pass a budget or raise taxes.

The California Correctional Peace Officers Association has backed Democrat Jerry Brown for governor but is still stinging from the end-of-session deal between Democratic legislators and Schwarzenegger that essentially authorized the governor to continue furloughs for members of the guards' union until they agree to a new labor contract.

[SmithL]

Just when you thought California politics couldn't get any weirder, . . .

[calcowgirl]

On another note, my State Senator (D) just died this morning (Jenny Oropeza)

She was up for reelection. Ordinarily, that should make for better odds for the Republican running against her. Unfortunately, voters are so uninformed they will probably vote her back into office. I hope I’m wrong.

[fieldmarshaldj]

Tennessee has an interesting law... if the candidate dies before the election, they are stricken from the ballot, period (meaning no party replacements and any votes cast by absentee or early voting are thrown out). One deranged political opportunist tried to use this to his advantage. He was the GOP nominee for a State Senate seat against a beloved Dem incumbent (whom some considered to be the most Conservative member of the body, one reason the GOP wasn’t bothering to give the other guy much help). So the guy went over to the Senator’s property and assassinated him. In doing so, he became the default winner of the race. However, authorities figured out real fast that he had done it, and there was a big scramble to mount a write-in candidacy for the widow (and the GOP had little choice but to assist, since we’d never have lived down having a murderer win the race by default). Byron Looper is still in the big house today... (though he should’ve gotten the death penalty for what was a first-degree murder).

[calcowgirl]

Check this other thread and some comments.
For political junkies, only. LOL

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/news/2611994/posts?page=16#16