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Tag: california republicans
Larry Elder

Christian Nationalists Predict Victory For Far-Right Recall Candidate

Reprinted with permission from Alternet

Christian nationalists in California are making an aggressive push to have embattled Gov. Gavin Newsom (D) recalled. The candidate they are advocating for heavily aligns with their own political agenda.

According to a new report published by Right Wing Watch, far-right Christian leaders and Republicans are advocating for conservative radio host Larry Elder.

Holding a sharp position on key conservative issues like abortion, voting rights, and COVID mitigation, Elder has received an influx of support from conservatives religious leaders.

One of his strongest supporters is Ché Ahn, a Pasadena, Calif.-based religious leader working to get as many evangelicals as possible to vote on the recall.

In fact, Ahn has a long history of advocating for Republican candidates and controversial policies the party has long worked to enact.

On January 5, just one day before the attack on the U.S. Capitol, Ahn appeared at the "Stop the Steal" rally that was organized to stir up the pro-Trump base. At the time, Ahn reportedly circulated misinformation about the presidential election by telling Trump-supporting rallygoers "that the election was stolen but that Trump would remain in office."

"We're gonna rule and reign through President Trump and under the lordship of Jesus Christ," he declared.

Over the last several weeks, a number of similar events have been held to boost Elder's campaign but the publication highlights one event in particular as it sheds light on how Christian nationalists are using religion to justify their political goals.

Per the publication:

A Sept. 2 California Pastors Town Hall sponsored by the Salt & Light Council focused in part on the recall election. Bishop Art Hodges urged pastors to bring their ballots to church and to portray voting as a sacred duty. 'It is our duty as Christians in America,' he said, to ensure God's continued blessing on the U.S. by 'choosing leaders who will honor biblical values and morality.' Hodges presented talking points favoring the recall, which began with Newsom performing marriage ceremonies for same-sex couples and running through a litany of complaints, including 'Cash payments to illegals.'

California's special election will be held on Tuesday Sept. 14.

GOP Strategists Dread Elder's Looming Defeat In Recall

GOP Strategists Dread Elder's Looming Defeat In Recall

Reprinted with permission from Alternet

The last time a Democratic governor faced a recall election in California, the Republican candidate prevailed. In October 2003, Californians voted to replace Democratic Gov. Gray Davis with Republican Arnold Schwarzenegger. But 18 years later, Gov. Gavin Newsom's main GOP challenger is someone much more controversial and divisive than the moderate Schwarzenegger: far-right radio host Larry Elder — and California Republicans, according to the conservative Washington Examiner, now fear that they may have blown a chance to unseat Newsom.

Rob Stutzman, a Sacramento-based Republican strategist who advised Schwarzenegger in 2003, told the Examiner, "Newsom has successfully framed the race as him versus Elder, and Democratic voters are responding by voting. Elder has no appeal outside of GOP voters."

The 69-year-old Elder is much different from Schwarzenegger, who leans conservative but isn't far-right. Schwarzenegger has been vehemently critical of former President Donald Trump, whereas Elder is an in-your-face Trump apologist in a state that Trump lost to now-President Joe Biden by 29 percent in the 2020 presidential election. Schwarzenegger, in contrast, had a lot more crossover appeal; many Democrats voted for him in 2003, and he was reelected in 2006. The Austria-born action film star turned politician is a textbook example of how a Republican can win a gubernatorial race in a deep blue state — not unlike Gov. Charlie Baker in Massachusetts or Gov. Phil Scott in Vermont.

Elder courts controversy. In July, Elder offended many people when, in July, he told right-wing pundit Candace Owens that arguably, former slaveowners were owed reparations after the Civil War because the federal government took their "property" away from them. But while "owning the liberals" and making outrageous comments can draw ratings in right-wing talk radio or on Fox News, it isn't a good strategy in a state as Democratic as California.

Larry Elder on reparations for slave owners and Candace Owens in complete agreement. Unbelievable!www.youtube.com

Regardless, Democratic organizers and strategists are leaving nothing to chance. Biden, Vice President Kamala Harris and Sen. Elizabeth Warren are among the major Democrats who have either visited California to campaign for Newsom or plan to do so.

The Examiner's David M. Drucker explains, "Earlier this summer, Democratic strategists who lived through the 2003 recall worried Newsom could be toppled despite California becoming a deeper shade of blue since then. Some believe this recall might have ended similarly if a centrist, such as former San Diego Mayor Kevin Faulconer, emerged as the consensus GOP contender. Elder's swift rise after entering the race late compared to the rest of the Republican field has them breathing a huge sigh of relief."

Conservative pundit Tim Miller, a Never Trumper and ex-Republican who supported Biden in 2020, views Elder as an extremist and believes that Republicans would have been much better off if Faulconer, not Elder, were the GOP frontrunner in the recall election. In a video posted on the conservative website The Bulwark earlier this week, Miller said of Faulconer, "He's a moderate Republican former mayor of San Diego. He wants to address climate change and supports citizenship for undocumented immigrants. Sounds like my kinda guy. But of course, he also voted for [Donald] Trump." And Miller slammed Elder as "basically a walking Boomer Facebook meme" who has "made countless crazy statements."

Tim Miller on WTF Is Going On With The California Recallwww.youtube.com

California Republicans, according to Drucker, "claim Elder squandered opportunities to hobble Newsom when he was on the ropes." A California-based GOP consultant, presumably interviewed on condition of anonymity, believes that if Newsom survives the recall, Elder will be to blame.

That Republican told the Examiner, "Before Elder, the race was all about Gavin, and our polls were looking very good. If the election had been four or more weeks ago, we would have won."

California Republicans Continue To Purloin Ballots In Illegal Drop Boxes

California Republicans Continue To Purloin Ballots In Illegal Drop Boxes

Despite a cease-and-desist order from California's Secretary of State, the state's Republican party continues to deny wrongdoing after setting up multiple illegal ballot drop boxes around the state.

Law enforcement discovered the drop boxes — some of which were falsely labeled "official" — over the weekend.

On Monday, California Secretary of State Alex Padilla said that the operation was a clear breach of election law.

On Wednesday, Republican officials falsely claimed that their unofficial ballot drop boxes don't violate state law, and said they would continue to put up the fake drop boxes.

"There is nothing illegal about the collection of ballots provided by voters, on a certainly volunteer basis, and entrusted to the persons who are operating that local election, or local party office, from transmitting those ballots," California Republican Party general counsel Tom Hiltachk said.

"We're going to continue with the program because it complies with the law," he added.

Padilla said many of the ballots found in the drop boxes were invalid because they were missing information, such as the identity of the person submitting the vote and their relationship to the voter.

Donald Trump has routinely accused his adversaries of exploiting official state drop boxes to tamper with ballots, which he has called "a whole big scam."

"Some states use 'drop boxes' for the collection of Universal Mail-In Ballots," Trump tweeted in August. "So who is going to 'collect' the Ballots, and what might be done to them prior to tabulation? A Rigged Election? So bad for our Country. Only Absentee Ballots acceptable!"

There is no evidence for this claim. Official ballot boxes are designed to ensure the security and integrity of individual ballots.

This is just the latest example of Trump working to undermine the legitimacy of the presidential election that former Vice President Joe Biden is favored to win.

The Trump campaign has filed a flurry of lawsuits mostly targeting blue states to make it more difficult to vote safely during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Meanwhile, Republicans across the country continue to uphold restrictive voter ID laws and other laws that make it harder for citizens to vote.

In Texas, a three-judge panel upheld Republican Gov. Greg Abbott's decision to limit each county in the state to just one official ballot drop box. The judges who ruled in the case were all appointed by Trump.

As Nov. 3 inches closer, Trump will likely continue to try to sow confusion and invalidate the election's results ahead of time.

Last month, a reporter asked Trump if Americans could expect a peaceful transition of power if Biden wins the election.

"We're going to have to see what happens, Trump replied.

Published with permission of The American Independent Foundation.

California Republicans Promoting Phony, Illegal Ballot Drop Boxes

California Republicans Promoting Phony, Illegal Ballot Drop Boxes

Reprinted with permission from DailyKos

California Republicans are so concerned about voter fraud that they're flagrantly breaking election laws. They're promoting "official ballot drop off boxes" that are not only not official, they're illegal. Republicans are promoting the "official" drop boxes on social media, with the boxes reportedly located at churches, gun stores, and candidate campaign offices in at least three counties.

Republicans have claimed that the practice is legal under a 2016 California law that allows people to designate a person to drop off their ballots—a benefit to people who have disabilities or are elderly or otherwise might not be able to return their ballots in person. Republicans actually sued to overturn this law, but now they say it allows their unofficial drop boxes. Except it doesn't. Leaving a ballot in an unsecured box does not equal giving it to a designated person.

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