California GOP Rolls Out 10-Point ‘Republican Promise’ Amid Push to Regain Power

Battling for a shot at the governor’s desk and trying to retain House seats, the California Republican Party introduced a 10-point agenda this week called the “California Republican Promise.”

In a five-minute video, state party Chair Corrin Rankin offers standard political pledges to make California more affordable and safer, and to lead in infrastructure.

The state party said it will roll out a series of public events to “listen” to voters across the state while introducing its 10-point plan for governance.

The planks are: affordability; safe communities; education and opportunity; infrastructure; homelessness; water and agriculture; workers; honest leadership; accountability; and California First.

“California has always been a place of possibility, but too many families are now asking whether they can still build a future here,” Rankin said in a news release. “The California Promise is our answer. We are going to talk about the problems people live with every day and offer a clear path to fix them.”

Dwindling GOP Influence

Republican influence in Sacramento has declined dramatically over the past 30 years to near irrelevancy. Republicans hold no statewide offices or U.S. Senate seats. Of the 52 members of the state’s House of Representatives delegation, only seven are Republicans. It used to be nine, but former Republican Kevin Kiley has recently registered as no party preference, and there is a vacancy in the seat held by the late Doug LaMalfa.

Republicans will have to fight harder to retain what remains in the House. Voters will select congressmembers this year for the first time under the Proposition 50 district lines approved in a special election last year. Experts expect the new lines to give Democrats an even greater electoral advantage.

In the Central Valley delegation, the districts for incumbents Vince Fong, R-Bakersfield, and Tom McClintock, R-Elk Grove, remain strongly Republican. Rep. David Valadao, R-Hanford, saw his district shift slightly toward Democrats. He has defied registration odds for nearly his entire political career, winning several times despite GOP voters being outnumbered.

At the state Capitol, both houses of the Legislature have Democratic supermajorities. Only 10 of 40 state senators are Republicans; in the Assembly, only 20 of 80 members are GOP.

In the most recent voter registration report, Democrats hold a 45% to 25% advantage, with 23% registered as no party preference as of April 3.

Polling shows Republican Steve Hilton, a former Fox News contributor, leading a crowded race for governor. The top two vote-earners will advance to the Nov. 3 general election. There is an outside chance that, because several prominent Democrats are still campaigning, Republican Riverside County Sheriff Chad Bianco could finish second. If so, Republicans would have a shot at the governorship for the first time since Arnold Schwarzenegger left office in 2011.

No Specifics Promised

On the “California Republican Promise” website, the GOP offers no specifics for its 10 planks. It also does not mention its leader, President Donald Trump, or criticize Democrats.

The promise does not address hot-button issues often used as political talking points, such as immigration enforcement, lowering taxes, or the California High-Speed Rail project.

The message on the website and in the video is so nonspecific that a voter might think it is coming from Democrats.

Republican Party spokesperson Matt Shupe said specifics will be revealed during the listening tour. The Central Valley will be one of the stops, he said.

“There have been complaints about problems in the past. We are focused on solutions,” Shupe said.

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