Special Election for BoS; Voter Turnout will Be the Difference

I’m not generally a fan of a candidate, newly elected or re-elected to a job, declaring a run for another post.  Donors gave lots of money to elect them only to be hit up again for another election.

So Irvine Mayor Don Wagner lied to the city of Irvine that he wanted to be re-elected to lead the city.  That was a lie.  Wagner and the very white OC GOP Central Committee haven’t learned their lesson from November.  Orange County voters despise Donald Trump.  And what did this group of people do?  They doubled down on the one Republican most Trumpian (see the “art” Don has in the photo above for proof).  Sources say there was a big meeting at Curt Pringle’s office earlier this month where almost all the movers and shakers of the OC GOP annointed Wagner has their candidate (so much for the notion that former Anaheim Council member and Republican candidate Kris Murray is in Pringle’s camp) — Republicans are begging her to drop out.  Pringle emailed me this morning to say no such meeting took place and certainly didn’t take place in his office.

Here’s a pitch the OC GOP has sent out.

Dear Orange County Republicans, (because apparently “voters” aren’t enough) 

We have had an incredible couple of weeks in our efforts to elect Don Wagner as Supervisor in the 3rd District. He has been working hard and the proof is in the results seen in our broad support listed below. 

We are planning a number of fundraising events beginning with our event this week on the 17th (see invitation below). We are just shy of our first fundraising benchmark of $200,000, our walking program has been launched and even though the election is just weeks away on March 12th, we feel we are on track to beat Loretta Sanchez.  Later this week we hope to announce our full list of campaign Co-Chairs as well as additional supporters. 

Some of you on this email may have chosen to support other candidates in this race, so we thank you for continuing to support our Republican candidates and staying engaged in the process. 

To those of you who have chosen to support Don — thank you.  We would not be where we are now without your energy, passion and friendship. 

Anne Hyde Dunsmore, Don Wagner for Supervisor

And Wagner himself has taken aim at Loretta Sanchez with this letter and a series of Robocalls over the weekend.

Sanchez is a “notorious liberal?”  That’s Don talking out of his ass again.

Murray is in the race to stay.  Word is former Villa Park council member Deborah Pauly will enter the race as well.  That’s a three way split Republicans have to deal with which negates their voter registration advantage in the district.

And it leaves OC Democrats an amazing opportunity to elect former Congresswoman Loretta Sanchez to the seat.

But this special election is not a shoo-in for Democrats still riding the blue wave from November.  A lot of people in the Third District are completely unaware there’s an election for March 12.  Candidates have a tiny window to raise money and get the word out.

Turnout will be light and Republicans always come out to vote in special elections.  Principled Republicans who hate what President Trump is doing to our country ought to cast a vote for ANYONE but Wagner, who has done nothing to relieve the homeless situation, fix traffic problems, or be anything less than a tool for billionaire developers in Irvine. What has always bothered me most about Wagner is his “strong Christian conservative” stances which means his votes would be the exact opposite his savior would endorse.

But, as a voter, mark March 12 in your calendar now.  In your notes, just write “No Wagner.”