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Chuck DeVore for Senate

By: The Contributors (Diary)  |  October 1st, 2009 at 09:00 PM  | 

RESIZE: AAA

In September, the Chuck DeVore campaign had a goal of raising $50,000 dollars online. Last night, that goal was met. Adding in offline donations, Chuck DeVore is averaging $100,000 raised every month in recent months, and has already outraised every California Republican candidate for Senate in the last decade.

The Chuck DeVore phenomenon is tapping into the grassroots energy that Republicans will need to cripple Barack Obama and the Congressional Democrats in 2010. He is a fighter who is right on the issues and is raising money. Chuck is California’s best hope to harry the menace to liberty and common sense that is Senator Barbara Boxer. It is for that reason that we, the undersigned, individual RedState.com editors, do endorse Chuck DeVore to be the Republican nominee to unseat Senator Boxer.

RedState takes a wide range of conservative and Republican views, but one issue we make demands on is life. Chuck DeVore stands alone among the five major Republican candidates for California statewide office this year in that he has a proven record of being pro-life, with clear pro-life ratings for his legislative tenure. In the Senate we need all the pro-life help we can get, especially given that the Senate is Ground Zero for Supreme Court nominations.

On taxes and spending DeVore can be counted on as well, having been a reliable vote against the raising of both in the California Assembly, despite enormous pressure brought to bear on the conservative minority by the radical Democrat majority, the “post-partisan” Governor, and the ever-socialist press. He already knows what it is like not to get invited to the cool kids’ cocktail parties, and will not break down on us in Washington.

More than just a conservative voice, though, Chuck is an active campaigner offline as well as on the Internet, having twenty times the Twitter followers of Carly Fiorina. He is termed out of his Assembly seat, and so having nowhere to go but up, began his campaign for Senate shortly after the 2008 election. Recent polls suggest he is our best bet as well, such as Rasmussen’s which shows him running ahead of Carly Fiorina against the incumbent, down 9 to Fiorina’s 10.

The plain fact is, even Carly Fiorina’s backers at the NRSC think she would lose. This race does not present the hypothetical choice of picking the grass roots choice to lose, or picking the establishment choice to win. Both will likely lose if Boxer makes no mistakes, but only one will fire up the activists, raise the most money (as Fiorina will not tap her own wealth for a run), help candidates down ticket, and make Barbara Boxer work the hardest.

That choice is Chuck DeVore, and we endorse him for Senate.

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COMMENTS

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  • Dan McLaughlin

    This isn’t an official site endorsement by the Directors. It’s an endorsement by the people signing their names.

    • Darin_H

      Not that I’m in y’alls league, just another conservative voice for Chuck. At first glance I thought Carly would be a good choice, but her conservative credentials are in major doubt and she gives the appearance that she doesn’t want nor need conservatives to win either the primary or the general election. Chuck looks to be rock solid and he’ll fight. Count me in for that!

  • kowalski

    I don’t know much about DeVore, but I like the way this post was presented:

    In the past (if I’m mistaken please correct me), RedState has always given recommendations like this as “The Directors” — and when I’ve seen that, because it was never modified, I’ve never known whether it really represented all the individuals here at RedState. I’ve always thought that was a little constrained and it really is good to see that individual contributors are getting together in their own groups to recommend a candidate. Very Cool, and different, and refreshing actually.

    I’ve never been a fan of Fiorina and the fact that you folks think so highly of DeVore is going to make me take a good look. I may be on the other side of the country from California but in some ways the politics are similar (if anything, California is *better*. Ugh.)

    Thanks.

    • http://www.hakubi.us/ Neil Stevens

      If we’re better off it’s because we’re a microcosm of the US: crazy coast, sane inland.

      • http://brockwayfamily.spaces.live.com/ Erick Brockway

        If we?re better off it?s because we?re a microcosm of the US: crazy coast, sane inland.

        At least in Ventura County, we’re pushing back hard. Was a conservative stronghold but I suspect the numbers may be more a revolt against the GOP than a retreat from conservatism.
        I registered Independent after the Primary, then changed back after the General.

        • Anteater

          Just look at the prop 8 map. 70% of African americans voted for it yet it only passed by 52%.

          The inbuilt disadvantages are the bay area and LA county, I hope DeVore is building a hispanic base of support. Also, focusing on California issues (such as the water issue) would help a lot.

          Finally, DeVore needs to be a tenacious fighter. It means guerrilla-style politics. Does Boxer do townhalls (I guess not… http://addictedtolaw.com/2009/08/22/barbara-boxer-charges-constituents-for-townhall-style-access/)? While the camcorders are rolling, have someone ask her some pointed questions, maybe about her opinions on Roman Polanski or one of Obama’s czars.

          But the biggest thing is money. DeVore would need to match Boxer’s warchest.

          • scarlos

            It’s not going to be impossible, but your right he definitely needs to come out with an Ace in the hole to win.

            The Water issues (specifically the current uproar) really only affect the Central Valley, and the Bay Area elites are such die-hard Environazis that it’s probably not going to make much of an impact here.

            I’d suggest focusing on central valley farms and small cities first, and then take any water-related momentum he gets into the LA Suburbs, where water rights have always been a big issue.

            To win, he’ll probably have to hold Boxer under 60% in LA and Santa Clara counties and win Orange, Riverside, San Bernadino and Ventura with about 62% collectively. Probably need to post in the low 40s for the Hispanic vote as well.

          • Wing Zero

            Because so many crops come from California. When these Bay area hippies realize they’re shipping in food from the Mid-West and South-Eastern US, just tell them they’re saving a 2 inch fish, but killing the planet with their carbon footprint. I hope it would cause a logic short circut in their brain… like logic paradoxes do to 1950′s and star trek killer robots.

          • http://hillbillypolitics.com Steph C

            If it can be done there, it can be done anywhere rather like Russia turning off the pipelines to Europe to hammer home its bargaining power.

            We must thnk in the moment and what it entails for the future.

      • BlackConservative

        In the RINO category, they seem to be birds of the same feather, I wouldn’t be surprised to see him suit up to see a conservative get beaten in the primary and then the moderate thrashed in the general. After all, whats another fake Democrat in CA when there are plenty of real ones to go around?

        • IJB

          I don’t think he cares about something like this, unless he himself were running for it.

          I suspect he’ll retreat from politics once he’s out of office.

          I could be wrong. But it’s the feeling I get about him…

        • http://www.hakubi.us/ Neil Stevens

          I think he knows a word from him would not help in a primary.

          • Cheryl

            today, not that I EVER watch CNN, but it was on at the gym.

            That said, his endorsement doesn’t mean squat to this Californian.

            I am so pleased for Chuck DeVore (and plan to actively participate in his campaign, but right now I’m committed to the CA10 special election supporting Harmer)

    • http://www.hakubi.us/ Neil Stevens

      We’re not stopping the use of formal site endorsements by The Directors.

      This is just a race where the site isn’t acting, but individual contributors are.

      • BlackConservative

        Devore is a true conservative who will fight against the girly-men of California. I like everything that he has said, especially like the fact that there is no difference between him and the establishment’s pick-except Devore is a conservative who can win. Time for the people, not the party leaders to take control of our party and country!

        • http://spritelywatchdog.blogspot.com spritelywatchdog

          I don’t live in California, but I am following several races closely, and this is one of them. We all need to work hard for 2010 and for 2012. It’s going to be a long 3.5 years.

  • http://chuckdevore.com chuckdevore

    California’s junior senator is the most liberal member of the Senate and this race will be a symbol of the clash between conservative ideals and and the Left as epitomized by Boxer.

  • http://brockwayfamily.spaces.live.com/ Erick Brockway

    I was fed up with the lot of them, even skeptical about DeVore. Events in December changed all that for me. I even donate for the first time ever (no trust=no money from me).
    I’ve since learned I can bypass the corrupt machinery and go straight to the source. Well, I thinkit’s corrupt anyway.
    NRSC gets squat, DeVore and Jeff Gorell get my vote and hard-earned greenbacks.

  • jforChuck-Bounce Boxer

    I’ve been volunteering for the DeVore campaign in the Bay Area… earlier in the year when all of my GOP colleagues were jumping aboard the GOV. race (most for Steve Poizner) I just felt pretty left out. I knew and appreciate Chuck DeVore from the Fred Thompson campaign. Though Fred’s campaign was about as lackluster as they come, and very disappointing… I always believed he was the right candidate for me. Chuck was one of Fred?s first endorsers. When our state team was released, I read up on all of the chairs, as this campaign was my first major grassroots effort since living in CA. It was clear that Chuck would be one of the state’s best hopes for conservatives moving forward.

    Back to last Spring… after hearing Chuck speak at the Spring CRP convention in which there just seemed to be this ridiculous dark cloud hovering over our state party (recent tax increase supported by several GOP Assemblymen and Senators, the Pres. election and some internal fighting, and of course, the convention was in SACTO) it just seemed we had nobody to look to. Chuck spoke at the general session on Sunday morning. Needless to say I was hooked immediately. Now, I was not hooked in the way that Obama supporters are… (based on oratory skill) but I was hooked because his articulate speech was backed with an unusual (not slapstick) sense of humor and major details about his platform. Nearby friends took notice but went on their merry way to support the next RINO failing to learn the lessons of the last election. For 6 months we heard nothing but Meg this, Carly that… blah, blah.

    I had the pleasure of welcoming Chuck at an event I ran in one of the wealthiest towns in the country just north of Stanford University. This party generally attracts a very moderate crowd. We broke all attendance records with 500 pp. Chuck’s speech was great, he earned many new supporters, but what impressed me that night was that he was done speaking by 7:30pm but stayed until well after 10pm answering questions to one individual at a time. Understand, this party after the speakers becomes a dinner and dance evening… people forget about the politics… but he stayed almost all night.

    Only a few days later I begged for an opportunity to help him in the Bay Area. I told him I would do whatever he needed, but I just did not want to wait until another campaign (Carly) got momentum for us to start getting active. Especially considering she lives in our back yard.

    As of now we have hands down the largest statewide FB group for Chuck and have a very active campaign at all GOP events in the Bay Area and we are expanding. Tea Party followers have been flocking to our campaign. We even have many followers of Ron Paul helping us because of Chuck’s ardent support of the “Audit the Fed” bill which he helped deliver a unanimous vote in our state resolutions committee. Tom McClintok is also a huge backer of this amendment.

    Yes we look at the Rasmussen poll as a positive, certainly being down 9 pts versus Boxer is not ideal… but is the first time he even registered on this poll. The consequence is that he runs better than Carly. Don’t tell me she is not running yet, everyone knows who she is, just nothing about her. BTW- I think she is a good women and would be a decent candidate, if not against an awesome candidate.

    Recently, Chuck has even been attacked by Al Gore in radical left wing efforts to illustrate his vote against AB 32 as irresponsible. Yes, being attacked by Al, he wears it as a badge of honor. The left continues to forget, attacking conservative values only brings volunteers out in droves.

    On Rush today, he commented about Steve Schmidt from the McCain campaign as saying a Palin run in 2012 would be catastrophic. Rush was quick to point out that its time we do away with all things McCain, why in the world would we look at that campaign as a benchmark for how to run for office? That means, Carly will need to take a backseat.

    We need to capitalize on the mistakes the left is making in our country, primarily… trying to pull a center-right county to the left with them and elect strong conservatives. If you ever get the opportunity to hear Chuck speak, ask him any old question. 20 minutes later he might be done giving you the answer. I’ve yet to see him not back a response with hard core facts and rationale. He is arguable the strongest candidate I have seen in the last couple of decades.

    This campaign is about many things. Yes, we want to elect Chuck as our next US Senator… but it?s about our state, our party and our country. Winning this race would be phenomenal, but there are other victories I hope we achieve. Proving that a strong conservative can be the nominee in a state like CA. Proving that the GOP can still win focusing on conservative values.

    Red State friends, I work 3 jobs… none of them will ever make me a rich man. What I do know, is that I have no more time or money to give, but I’m finding ways to do it. Conservative candidates bring out the most devout of activists. Please help Chuck, or any like candidates in this election. I really believe we can win this.

    www.chuckdevore.com