I am not sure who is advising Kelly Ernby, but I feel for them. It appears that Kelly Ernby’s ego is gigantic and uncontrollable.
The AD74 race has kind of taken a back seat to AD73 as AD73 will likely be decided in the primary unless the extremely damaged and contemptible William “Bill” Brough makes it through to the runoff. In AD74 the issue is having a strong challenger to Cottie-Petrie-Petrie-Norris. The dem leadership have recently set up Mizz Petrie Dish with a couple of feel-good bills so she could mug for the Camera. (I noted Bill Brough in some of the photos looking hung over as well)
What I was told by several insiders in Orange County was that some stakeholders in Orange County arranged a meeting with Kelly Ernby. Mrs. Ernby has missed the memo that she is polling around the same region as a sugar pill would poll. Mrs. Ernby by all accounts has raised less than $100k and her rate of bleed with Anne Dunsmore and Duane Dichara on the payroll means she will run out of money shortly. It is the combination of these factors that motivated said stakeholders to call on Mrs. Ernby.
The meeting did not go well as Mrs. Ernby demonstrated a lack of maturity and hubiris that no one seemed to have detected. (They should have asked your intrepid blogger, I’d have told them)
Kelly decided to respond by detonating herself in an email to the Orange County Republican Party. Mrs. Ernby knows that Diane Dixon is very close to the 2/3 threshold and she likely thought that unloading a tirade may provide that little something extra… to motivate undecided or the refusnik (never endorse for any reason anytime) members of the OCGOP in to the Dixon Column. I just could not see Duane Dichara or Anne Dunsmore signing off on the email I am about to post.
From: Kelly Ernby <DELETED>
Date: Fri, Nov 8, 2019, 5:43 PM
Subject: Can we stop the dirty politics and let the voters decide?Dear Members and Alternates,
In our last central committee meeting in October, Diane Dixon and I both agreed to withdraw our names for endorsement for the 74th Assembly District seat. In the words of Diane Dixon herself, it was “for the sake of the party.” Since that time, I would like to bring to your attention to two significant events.
First, Diane Dixon has apparently changed her mind and is now seeking the endorsement at the next central committee meeting. I was told this was calendared by Chairman Whitaker without any notice or consultation with me. At a minimum, I would ask you to reject this item purely on the way it was presented, particularly after a deal had been struck. It would be manifestly wrong for Diane Dixon to slip in this endorsement request without an invitation being extended to me to do the same, especially in light of our previous agreement.
The second item is more disturbing. And I bring it to your attention because it directly affects whether this party should be endorsing in this partisan contested primary in the first place. Some members of our Party have asked me to leave the race to reduce the costs of the primary. They tell me I should have started my political career by running for a different office. There is nothing wrong with these comments. However, lately, this same “advice” has come from Diane Dixon’s campaign with a much different tone. Specifically, earlier this week, Teresa Hernandez, who many of you know, suggested I leave the race for Assembly and run for a different office—either Huntington Beach City Council or Superior Court Judge. Mrs. Hernandez identified herself as one of the people who recruited Mrs. Dixon to run and she is now one of Dixon’s strongest advisors and advocate. She told me that if I did not drop out of the race, Mrs. Dixon was prepared to spend $400,000 in the primary campaign for Assembly to “bloody me up” and smear my good name. As a result of the negative campaign I should expect from Mrs. Dixon, I was told, my reputation would be so tarnished that I would never be able to run for public office again. Further, if I refused to drop out, Mrs. Hernandez advised that Lincoln Club and Party members would be told of my lack of compliance with her demand, implying that my lack of cooperation would be seen in a negative light. Similar calls, with similar language of threats to me have been made specifically by Mrs. Dixon’s campaign staff to others connected to my campaign.
Mrs. Hernandez offered me an alternative to the grim picture she painted were I to remain in the race. Should I accept her invitation to drop out of the Assembly race, she offered considerable help in my suggested campaign for judge or city council. She told me that Diane Dixon only planned to remain in the state assembly seat we are both seeking—District 74—for 2 to 4 years, and that Diane would offer the Assembly seat to me when she steps down. Mrs. Hernandez offered me endorsements and help fundraising for these alternative public offices if I complied with her demands. I did not.
I have written this letter to get all of this into the open. Our mutual goal is to defeat Cottie Norris in November, and I believe transparency among Republicans is essential towards that end.
I am committed to staying in this race and no amount of money or promise of money or endorsements will make me change my position. I would also like to add that I have sought counsel with my supporters, in Huntington Beach and throughout the district, about this situation, and received feedback ranging from disbelief in these tactics to strong re-confirmation of support for my campaign.
In closing, I reiterate my support for the Republican nominee whomever it shall be – in accordance with the agreement made at the last central committee meeting. Further, I respectfully request that you reject the invitation to revisit the early endorsement decision in this race. Rather, in the great tradition of this Party, let the primary voters decide who the 74th Assembly District Republican nominee should be.
May the best candidate win.
On to victory for the GOP,
Kelly Ernby
—Kelly Ernby |
Candidate for CA Assembly District 74
The truth about what happened is somewhere in between what Kelly Ernby’s tirade indicates and what I was told in confidence. But, let me state the obvious:
#1 As a candidate, attacking a stakeholder and donor by name is not a wise strategy. Should Mrs. Ernby somehow get beyond 4% she will need these people she attacked. That ain’t happening.
#2 Should Ernby lose, she is toast for at least 10 years, maybe more due to the way she has conducted herself. People do not forget fits of narcissistic rage.
#3 Ernby is advocating “No Endorsement”, this is an admission that her support among Republican stakeholders is weak. A smart candidate regardless of strength or weakness would ask the Party to endorse her.
#4 Ernby attacked the largest (or second largest depending on who you ask) donor group in Orange County by name. This is felony stupid.
#5 It is my understanding there was never a deal related to the AD74 Endorsement at the Central Committee Level. It is my understanding that the dynamic at the meeting was such that Diane Dixon chose to postpone her request as she was not sure she had 2/3 or may have been short a vote or two. Ernby is re-writing history or at worst is telling an outright lie.
It is likely that Mrs. Hernandez was sent to speak to Ernby on behalf of several people and asked Ernby to consider running for Judge with a promise of significant financial support in the form of her and her friends in the Lincoln Club. Hernandez likely pointed out that staying in the Assembly Race meant that Ernby would experience more pain than just the Right On Daily Blog (ahem- beyond what a bottle of wine can soothe).
Kelly Enrby, incensed that Hernandez would dare not kiss her ring conflated an attempt to negotiate as some sort of attempt at a felony (bribery) and a threat.
Once done with the meeting it is likely that Ernby thought about how she could use said meeting to teach everyone who is boss, thus the above email (embellishments and all).
What we now know is that Kelly Ernby has the pre-requisite hubris required to be a partisan officeholder. Almost coincidentally, Ernby’s entire grassroots army descended on my facebook page, (all 3 of them) leaving comments about what an evyl person Diane Dixon is. One of Ernby’s trolls lost a Costa Mesa city council race by the same 30+ points Ernby is down in this one. (That could explain the affinity)
Ernby and Brough likely have the same therapist in my opinion.
