That assumes that all of the write-ins were for Karen England.
| LIEUTENANT GOVERNOR | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Total | |||
| Number of Precincts | 375 | ||
| Precincts Reporting | 243 | 64.8 % | |
| Vote For | 1 | ||
| Total Votes | 85343 | ||
|
|
|||
| ABEL MALDONADO | REP | 47144 | 55.24% |
| GAVIN NEWSOM | DEM | 28477 | 33.37% |
| PAMELA J. BROWN | LIB | 5326 | 6.24% |
| JIM KING | AIP | 1730 | 2.03% |
| C. T. WEBER | PFP | 953 | 1.12% |
| JAMES CASTILLO | GRN | 825 | 0.97% |
| Write-in Votes | 888 | 1.04% | |
Steven Greenhut of the OC Register writes that a local Tea Party activist wants to mount a statewide Write-In campaign to help elect Gavin Newsome by syphoning votes off of Abel Maldonado.
Why? Abel refused to stand up for Prop 8. I thought the Tea Party was all about fiscal and not social issues?
Is this a publicity stunt or is this real?
Steven Greenhut: It’s more than a rumor California conservatives are actively recruiting a write-in candidate for lieutenant governor in response to Abel Maldonado’s refusal yesterday to sign onto the state’s appeal of the ruling overturning anti-gay-marriage Prop. 8. No one expects this conservative to have a shot at winning, but this possible candidacy is viewed as a means to bring up conservative ideas in a campaign between a liberal Republican and a liberal Democrat. For many activists we talked to, Maldonado’s refusal to file an appeal while he was acting governor (and was busy signing other laws as Schwarzenegger was out of the country) was the last straw in a career of tax hikes and government expansions. If the candidacy costs Lt. Gov. Maldonado the election, well there aren’t many conservatives who will be upset about that. One possible candidate is Karen England, executive director of the conservative Capitol Resource Institute and a long-time activist. Stay tuned.
Where was all this activism when Sam Aanestad was on the ballot against Abel?
Now Maldo is the nominee and anything other than voting for him is putting Gavin Newsome in that office. (Which may be Karen England’s goal – or again it could be a publicity stunt)