Recent days have seen a number of announcements by Republicans and conservatives seeking statewide office.
Last week Caitlyn Jenner jumped into the gubernatorial recall race, while Monday Sacramento County District Attorney Anne Marie Schubert announced a challenge to newly sworn-in Attorney General Rob Bonta. Statewide office has become elusive for Republicans in recent years.
Where do things currently stand with the California Republican party and what obstacles are in their way?
“There are a lot of challenges. The party has been in decline. In a moderate to center-left blue state like California, the “Trump” label is political anthrax. It just kills you and the Republicans here are still paying a price for that,” explained Mike Murphy, Co-Director of the USC Center for the Political Future, on KCBS Radio’s the State of California.
The Republican effort to gain political office across the state is headlined by the attempt to recall Gov. Gavin Newsom, which the Secretary of State’s office announced Monday had enough signatures to qualify for the ballot.
That milestone is expected to result in the state’s first gubernatorial recall election since 2003, when voters removed Gov. Gray Davis from office and replaced him with Republican Arnold Shwarzenegger. Murphy, who worked on Shwarzenegger’s campaign, is skeptical about the current recall effort, noting that the party’s power in the state has weakened since their 2003 victory.
“Gavin is not in Gray Davis trouble. While it’s an opportunity, the climb that (Republicans) have to make is higher than ever before,” he noted.
Multiple republicans have already announced their intentions to run against Newsom, including former San Diego Mayor Kevin Faulconer, 2018 gubernatorial candidate John Cox, and former Congressman Doug Ose. Murphy expects more to join the race, but doesn’t see the party producing a viable challenger.
“There needs to be an Arnold Shwarzenegger. There needs to be a big credible center candidate for this thing to have any chance,” he explained. “These fringe Republican candidates have that ‘Trump’ label. It’s hard to do the math in California.”
Where does this bleak outlook leave Republicans should the recall fail?
“(Republicans) are kind of the Washington Generals to the democratic Globetrotters. That probably won’t change,” Murphy said. “There are pockets where they’re competitive in the state, but statewide that’s not possible right now. They’re backed into this cul-de-sac with the identity they have and it’s a state that’s changing quickly against them. Put it this way, if the recall doesn’t happen, it won’t get any worse for them.”
