RSS
Home
Looking ahead to the 2010 race for Calif. governor
Print
Email
RSS
Subscribe
.jpg)
AP
A new year means a new election in California, where every season is political season.
Political analysts have turned their attention to the 2010 race for governor even though the primaries are still more than 500 days away. Over the course of the next few days, I'll lay out the contenders for governor with background on each potential candidate.
Recent speculation has swirled around Attorney General Jerry Brown, at least one political insider says the less flashy Lt. Gov. John Garamendi has the inside track in the Democratic gubernatorial primary.
Gabriel Sanchez, communications director for President-elect Barack Obama’s California campaign, broke with convention in a column he wrote for the California Majority Report, when he tabbed Garamendi as the favorite.
Sanchez looked back at the last 75 years of history and says all past governors had the name recognition that comes from holding a previous statewide office except two: current Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger and former Gov. Ronald Reagan, both with cache as Hollywood actors.
“It illustrates one critical factor all these past governors shared before being elected: name ID,” Sanchez wrote. “All of this bodes very well for … Lt. Gov. John Garamendi.”
The logic would seem to fall apart, however, with Brown, who not only holds a higher profile statewide office than Garamendi now, but has already been a two-term governor of the state from 1975 to 1983.
But Sanchez said that could work against the attorney general. “Lest you think I forgot,” Sanchez wrote, “Attorney General Jerry Brown should benefit from this historic scenario as well. Many friends have told me Browns don’t lose primaries. Indeed. But California voters haven’t approved a third term for a Governor Brown either. So, let’s call it a wash.”
For months polling has shown Brown and U.S. Sen. Dianne Feinstein huge favorites over all others. But Sanchez is not alone on an island with his prediction.
Steven Hill, a political writer and director at a Bay Area think tank said Garamendi could get an unexpected push from a popular politician.
“If President-elect Obama’s popularity in California is still high next year, as I would suspect it will be,” Hill said, “he could changes things in a hurry if he came down on the side of someone over another in the primary.”
Among those considering a run for governor, only Garamendi came out early in support of Obama during the last political election.
More California new: Examiner.com
Related Articles:
Comments
.jpg)
.jpg)
