I was contacted by a member of his staff that indicated his missed vote in committee was due to scheduling and being triple booked (which is apparently common with committee meetings in the state legislature).
This is a video of James Gallagher R-AD03 speaking publicly against SB27, the triggered democrats bill to force the President to release his tax returns or he will not be on the ballot bill.
When I worked for Bill Halldin in the extremely crowded 2016 Assembly District 6 Primary, the team of James Gallagher, Doug LaMalfa, Frank Bigelow and Jim Nielsen – all partisan Republican officeholders came through with huge endorsements for Bill. Jim Nielsen and Frank Bigelow also followed up their endorsements with $4200 checks and assistance with other checks for Halldin’s campaign.
James Gallagher sent some staff who helped us on a few weekends. We had some of Jim Nielsen and Doug LaMalfa’s staff on a few weekends, with a lot on the final days of the campaign. Frank Bigelow’s staff were amazing, they helped us pretty much every weekend after Frank Bigelow endorsed Bill Halldin.
For this blogger personally, it was an interesting study in professionalism. I have been at the throats of several of the people in LaMalfa and Nielsen’s staff for years, yet here we were working together. This was a welcome change from the blood-letting that the GOP in California no longer has the luxury to do. Those that I worked with in the LaMalfa and Nielsen office were professional, polite and assisted Bill Halldin like a professional would do.
My interactions with those working for James Gallagher were even better. I have no negative history with Gallagher as I decided to support him in his primary, breaking traditional political lines in the North State. They all seemed to know, but more importantly their communication and approach suggested that they cared deeply about their district and people in it. Despite my issues with Gallagher on some internal party politics issues or allegiance issues – it is clear that James is an effective legislator with a clear reason for serving. His staff is a reflection of that.
Frank Bigelow’s staff blew my mind. What a great group of people. They even explained to me a few things about El Dorado County politics from a completely different perspective. (For example, having positive things to say about Vern Pierson) Without meaning a slight to the staff of the other three, the Bigelow Staff were almost 100% committed and assisting Halldin’s campaign and I had a lot of interactions with them. Bigelow’s staff were some of the most real people I’ve worked with from a legislator’s office in the nearly 20 years in the political trenches I’ve logged.
When I had interactions with Nielsen and Bigelow during this campaign, it was clear to me they were both trying to figure me out. They both made a lot of eye contact when we were chatting at a fundraiser event for Bill. I usually do not try to hide my feelings about anyone, and I will say that I have come from being hostile towards Nielsen to liking him.
Regarding Frank Bigelow, I did not support him when he ran against Rico Oller. Frank is not as conservative as I’d like him to be. However, it is clear to me that Bigelow is a “real dude”. I can forgive a lot of squishyness when I deal with a real dude. Bigelow’s character is clear as reflected in his staff. In most all cases a legislator’s staff is a reflection of the member. It was good to be able to get to know Mr. Bigelow a bit more. I hope that Bigelow, Nielsen and others would choose to start funding voter registration and other efforts as the dems are overrunning this state.
In this season of Thanksgiving, I’d like to thank the above four for helping Bill Halldin and I’d also like to thank the staff members I got to meet and work with. It was a great experience, here’s hoping that we cross paths on the same side again soon.
Footnote: Kevin Kiley won that primary and ultimately won the general election. The above four did indeed raise money and help Mr. Kiley in the fall as any good team players would do.
I am re-printing an article from the Sacramento Bee in its’ entirety. I have emboldened some of the key lines for emphasis.
Republican James Gallagher has scored two key endorsements that could put him ahead in the open race for California’s 3rd Assembly District.
The sprawling district north of Sacramento is solidly Republican, and with incumbent Dan Logue, R-Marysville, running for Congress, the race appears to be between Gallagher, a Sutter County supervisor from a longstanding farming family, and Ryan Schohr, another Republican with roots in the region’s agricultural community.
The conservative California Republican Assembly backed Gallagher at its convention this past weekend, citing his “core conservative principles.”
He also received an endorsement last week from the Howard Jarvis Taxpayers Association. The powerful anti-tax group seldom gets involved in intra-party primary races.
“I am excited to receive the endorsement of such a respected taxpayer organization,” Gallagher said in a statement. “I’m humbled that they have recognized my work on the Board of Supervisors and my commitment to protect taxpayers from government waste and abuse.”
Schohr, a farmer who serves on the Butte County Water Commission, said he is “not a politician or a bureaucrat,” so he has not been seeking out those statewide endorsements.
“I’ve got the support of hundreds of families and farmers and business owners in the district,” he said. “I’ve got a record of fighting taxes and wasteful spending and harmful regulations… I’m happy to work with anybody who has those same conservative ideals.”
Gallagher and Schohr also face Democrat Jim Reed in the June primary.
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There is a rule in politics. Every bit of support you can get is good. The sorry attempt at spin by Schohr in this article is people’s exhibit A that Schohr is not ready for prime-time.
Let’s hope the CRA endorsement of Gallagher has the same effect on AD-03 as the threat of a CRA endorsement did to Mark Wyland when he simply dropped out of the race against Diane Harkey.
I am still SMH at this one.
You’ve seen our snippet about the Ryan Schohr vs Jimmy Gallagher race in AD-03. I don’t know much about either candidate but it is safe to say that we are leaning towards Schohr at this point.
CD-03 – our intel tells us that Dan Logue is the Republican Front-Runner by a mile. It does not look like Kim Dolbow-Vann is running again, nor is Rick Tubbs. There have been pernicious rumors about some sort of back-room deal cut to set Dan up to run in this district, they are absurd. Dan Logue is unlikely to be endorsed by either Jim Nielsen or Doug LaMalfa until after the primary. CD-03 includes All of Colusa, Yolo, Yuba, Sutter and a gerrymandered slice of Sac, Lake, Glenn and about a third of Solano County. Yolo and Solano are the population center and the district favors the socialist John Garamendi by about 10%.
We expect Dan Logue to announce against Garamendi sometime in the next two months.
CD-07 – this one is interesting, it is infested by Fraud Doctor Ami Bera. Bera defeated Lungren by a slim margin due largely to Lungren’s campaign, not due to Bera’s brilliance.
The registration is effectively even. The combination of that and the 2014 election being an allegedly different dynamic means that this seat could return to the good guys.
This is why newly elected state senator Ted Gaines went to Washington DC recently. The joke is on the voters of SD-01. While we are skeptical that Gaines will get traction, he has been one of the luckiest men in politics in the North State. The Dave Gilliard Moderate Machine is pushing him – McCarthy Acolyte Doug LaMalfa and Conservative until he gets to Sacramento State Senator Jim Nielsen is as well. In an ironic twist, should Gaines run, he’d likely be positioned as the moderate in the race!
Which leaves Doug Ose. We don’t think he runs, We don’t think he will be able to drop another 3-5million in to a congressional run. It does not look like the insiders want a retread (and Gaines isn’t?). We think Doug Ose would be extremely competitive if he ran – apparently, he would have to move to be in the district like Ted Gaines would have to move again for the second time in as many years.
… and Elizabeth Emken, 2012 US Senate Nominee moved to Fair Oaks. We like Elizabeth a lot.
The 800 Pound Gorilla that everyone knows is there (including the fraud doctor) is Igor Birman. Birman is a Russian Jew who fled Soviet Communism to come to American Socialism. Unlike Ose, Gaines or Emken – Igor is just over 30, is a fresh face AND can raise the money necessary to win. In case his name is not familiar – he is Iconic Conservative Congressman Tom McClintock’s Chief of Staff.
Guess who gets McClintock’s army and endorsement? (Hint, it isn’t Gaines)
However, Republicans are Republicans so one thing that is clear – there will be a money-draining primary complete with all the pleasantries – and if Gilliard is involved, racist mailers are likely as well.
Finally – we have a Secretary of State Candidate, Pete Peterson. Pete Peterson was profiled by the Sacramento Bee. It appears that Peterson is the lone Republican in a crowded field of Democrats. I don’t expect that to last as Republicans can’t seem to help themselves to understand strategy in a state that is 28% Republican.
Peterson is the executive director of Pepperdine University’s Davenport Institute. I’d lay odds he will be able to raise a few bucks. With a limit of 5700 per calendar yer / 6800 per cycle, he’s got some work to do.
More coming soon.