Posts Tagged ‘California’

ALEXANDRIA, VA – With less than three months until Election Day 2010, Republicans celebrated one of the most hard fought special elections – at any level – with the victory of Sam Blakeslee for California’s 15th Senate District. Blakeslee’s marks the 62nd state legislative special election victory for Republicans, nationwide, since President Barack Obama was elected.

“The Democrats pulled out all the stops in this race, but it proved that no amount of liberal spending and campaigning by President Obama can overcome the public’s discontent with liberal Democrat policies and voters’ preference for commonsense, conservative policies put forth by Republicans,” said RSLC President Scott Ward.

While Democrats hold a six-point voter registration advantage in the 15th District, Blakeslee topped Democrat John Laird 48 percent to 44 percent.  The race, which was the determining factor in whether Democrats would be 1 step closer to achieving a super-majority in the senate, became a preview of Democrat efforts, drawing millions of dollars spent by liberal interests and heavy involvement from President Barack Obama.

Blakeslee was first elected to the California State Assembly in 2004 to represent the 33rd Assembly District. He was re-elected by overwhelming margins in both 2006 and 2008.  During his time in office, Assemblyman Blakeslee has compiled an impressive record of bi-partisan legislative accomplishments, delivering meaningful achievements on issues such as job creation, government reform, renewable energy, agriculture, conservation, health care, public safety, disabled rights, consumer protection, and seismic safety.

Ward congratulated Blakeslee saying, “Sam Blakeslee fought against vicious attacks but proved that Republicans are benefiting from a growing wave heading into the November elections.  He ran an excellent campaign and we look forward to his leadership in the California Senate.”

You can read more about this race in the piece co-authored by RSLC Political Director Ben Cannatti on Townhall.com

From the Californian:

Monterey County election officials expect voter turnout for today’s runoff election in state Senate District 15 to be a bit higher than it was for the June 22 special election.

Candidates on the ballot are Assemblyman Sam Blakeslee, R-San Luis Obispo; John Laird, former assemblyman and Democrat from Aptos; independent Jim Fitzgerald; and Libertarian Mark Hinkle.

Districtwide, Blakeslee garnered 49.4 percent of the vote in five coastal counties. Laird had nearly 42 percent, while Hinkle and Fitzgerald combined for nearly 9 percent. The runoff was forced because none met the 50-percent-plus-one standard to be certified a winner. That standard doesn’t apply in a California runoff, where the largest vote-getter wins.

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From the Sacramento Bee:

Assemblyman Sam Blakeslee’s campaign for Senate received a big boost Friday with an additional $150,000 contribution from the California Republican Party, state records show.

The GOP previously had donated $200,000 to Blakeslee’s bid to win the Senate seat vacated by Abel Maldonado’s selection for lieutenant governor. The coastal district stretches from Santa Cruz and Santa Clara counties south to Santa Barbara.

Blakeslee, R-San Luis Obispo, finished ahead of former Democratic Assemblyman John Laird of Santa Cruz in a June 22 primary election, but the Republican legislator fell just short of the majority needed to capture the seat outright.

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From Fox&Hounds:

Sam Blakeslee’s strong showing in the June 22nd special election for California’s 15th Senate District has led to some of the least credible spin seen by political observers in many years – and that’s saying a great deal.

Republican Blakeslee received 49.5% of the vote in a four candidate field, narrowly missing an outright victory by only a few hundred votes. Former Assemblyman John Laird trailed by almost 8 percentage points – a profoundly disappointing showing for the Santa Cruz liberal.

Pundits were surprised by both the strength of Blakeslee’s support and the weakness of Laird’s. Yet Laird is ridiculously attempting to declare victory on a liberal blog with the justification that he barely avoided complete defeat. Laird’s claim to be the winner on June 22nd after losing by 8 points undermines both the Democrat’s credibility and grasp of basic math skills – but it might explain the fiscal chaos that resulted during his tenure as the longtime Chairman of the Assembly Budget Committee.

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From MercuryNews.com:

The results of Tuesday’s state Senate election were still out Thursday, with Republican Sam Blakeslee remaining within reach of victory, but barely.

The San Luis Obispo assemblyman, with about 6,000 ballots yet to be counted in the 15th District race, was three-tenths of a point shy of the majority needed to outright win and avert an August runoff. His polling at 49.7 percent of the vote was unchanged from a day earlier when about 17,000 ballots remained uncounted.

Elections officials, who are wrestling with mail-in ballots submitted on Election Day and provisional ballots that need verification, don’t know when the final count will come. They face a Wednesday deadline, however.

Both Blakeslee and his top opponent John Laird, a former Democratic assemblyman from Santa Cruz, say they’re proceeding as though the runoff election will take place Aug. 17.

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