Scott Baugh – say it ain’t so!
When Scott Baugh was first elected to replace Tom Fuentes as Chair of the Republican Party of Orange County I had high hopes that he would unite the party and that he would stay clean, despite the problems that marred his first year in the state legislature. Those problems stemmed from a scandal involving Baugh’s first Assembly campaign. In that race, Republicans convinced a friend of Baugh named Laurie Campbell to run as a Democrat, in order to dilute the real Democrat’s vote total. The truth got out, Campbell was thrown out of the race, and Baugh’s handlers convinced one of his GOP opponents to drop out. Baugh won and now he runs the OC GOP. And now that organization is in big trouble.
Kudos to OC Register Peggy Lowe for her eye-opening story in today’s paper, revealing that the OC GOP is still using contractors known as “bounty hunters” to register new voters, despite the scandal that has erupted in the 34th State Senate District (as reported by my co-blogger Claudio Gallegos). Say it ain’t so! This story is so embarrassing that the California GOP has suspended the OC GOP from its bounty program. And the scandal is threatening the party’s choice for the 34th, liberal Lynn Daucher.
I have been told by insiders that the Republicans for a New Majority feel that they have the right to pick the candidate for the 34th, because they bankrolled much of the voter registration work that gave the GOP hope in this district. Ackerman buckled to their pressure, driving conservative Van Tran out of the race and advancing Daucher, even though most county Republicans have no love for her, and her status as a carpetbagger will not be well-received by the voters.
The right thing to do would be for Baugh and the New Majority to own up to their mess and suspend their own bounty program, for the good of the party. It won’t happen. They are so desperate to win in the 34th that they have lost their collective minds. And now of course conservative Lupe Moreno is threatening Daucher’s chances of winning the primary. Moreno won’t be tainted by the registration scandal, but Daucher and her handlers will. That bodes ill for the RINO.
In related news, Baugh suddenly decided to pay for Ryan Gene Williams’ ballot statement after I wrote about it yesterday. You’re welcome Ryan! Good move Baugh – but now you need to clean up your registration efforts in the 34th.
You can read Lowe’s article at http://www.ocregister.com/ocregister/homepage/abox/article_1037904.php.
Didn’t Van Tran’s campaign staffers also get nailed for questionable voter registration when he was running for assembly?
Art,
These publicity stunts will get you nowhere. You are now jumping on the Claudio’s bandwagon, just go ahead and change your registration to D- I am sure you can find a signature gatherer to do that for you.
The effort had a couple of minor problems, but in your effort to crucify Lynn Daucher thinking you will save a baby or two, you join the Dems in making this sound like something bad. What is up with that! Lynn Daucher is the candidate, please don’t embarass yourself and Lupe anymore than you have to
Look, Scott Baugh is a crook. Disagree with Fuentes if you like but he worked for the party. Baugh has used the chair. to be a networking tool for his business. Local endorsements for local muni, legal work.
ackerman fan spins the same “no big deal” defense the GOP used in 1988 polling guards issue. Art is to be commended for stepping up. GOP needs to get out in front of theis issue. You don’t have to stop your drive, just stop paying bounty hunting carnies by the card or signature. Or do what you should have done in the first place, create an oversight process where you are on site monitoring these carnies. And making sure all the info is there so you can call them. Baugh just wanted numbers, whatever it takes to get them.Negligent supervision for sure.
Let’s hope that Bruce Mcpherson will take the lead in calling for changes. Its a disgrace that this has happened in the OC>
Garzastrip,
Thanks for your support. As you know, I am running for the OC GOP Central Committee, and if elected I will be pushing the Committee to clean up this mess. In the meantime, this blog provides an effective bully pulpit…