Conservatives get to know gubernatorial candidates
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1 of 5By Alex Horvath
Alex Horvath / The Californian Meg Whitman, a leading GOP gubernatorial candidate spent the afternoon with the California Republican Assembly convention at the Four Points Sheridan. A reception was held for her were she spoke about herself and her run for Governor of California seat.
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2 of 5By Alex Horvath
Alex Horvath / The Californian Meg Whitman, a leading GOP gubernatorial candidate spent the afternoon with the California Republican Assembly convention at the Four Points Sheridan. During her visit to Bakersfield Whitman meet with Congressman Kevin McCarthy.
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3 of 5
By Alex Horvath
Alex Horvath / The Californian Meg Whitman, a leading GOP gubernatorial candidate spent the afternoon with the California Republican Assembly convention at the Four Points Sheridan. A reception was held for her were she spoke about herself and her run for Governor of California seat.
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4 of 5
By Alex Horvath
Alex Horvath / The Californian Meg Whitman, a leading GOP gubernatorial candidate spent the afternoon with the California Republican Assembly convention at the Four Points Sheridan Saturday morning. Whitman meets with Assemblyman Ted Gaines and Congressman Kevin McCarthy.
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5 of 5
By Alex Horvath
Alex Horvath / The Californian Meg Whitman, a leading GOP gubernatorial candidate spent the afternoon with the California Republican Assembly convention at the Four Points Sheridan. During her visit to Bakersfield Whitman meet with Congressman Kevin McCarthy.
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BY GRETCHEN WENNER, Californian staff writer gwenner@bakersfield.com
You'd be hard pressed to find a cozier spot for conservative Republicans than Bakersfield, and more than 100 spent the weekend here at the California Republican Assembly's conservative convention.
They're meeting gubernatorial hopefuls, rallying against upcoming ballot propositions and dining with officials from around the Golden State at the Four Points Hotel by Sheraton.
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Excerpts from "What We Believe" (Read the full text at california republicanassembly.com):
Inalienable Rights: We believe that man's "rights" flow from the Creator and the rights of life, liberty, and justice cannot be legitimately granted or rescinded by men.
Judeo-Christian Foundation: We believe in the guiding force of moral law as expressed by the Judeo- Christian ethic and contained in the Holy Scriptures of these historic faiths.
Taxes: We believe that the federal tax system is abusive to the American people while discouraging investment and growth.
Family: We believe that the traditional American family, defined as any persons related by blood, marriage of a man and a woman and/or adoption, is the cornerstone of our American society, and the government is duty bound to protect the integrity of the family unit through legislation and taxation policies.
Sanctity of Life: We believe that the preborn child is a human being deserving the full protection of the law.
Right to Bear Arms: We believe in the unqualified right of our citizens to keep and bear arms without the intrusive hand of government.
Source: California Republican Assembly
National leaders working to remake GOP's image, Page A5
Learn more about the CRA's local chapter, the Republican Assembly of Kern County, at republicanassemblyof kerncounty.com.
Saturday morning, former eBay chief executive Meg Whitman, 52, spoke to possible supporters about her run for governor in 2010.
In addition to general campaign tenets -- the need to lower taxes and streamline business regulations among them -- Whitman spoke of meeting Barbara Grimm, matriarch of Kern's carrot-farming behemoth, Grimmway Farms.
The Grimms came up with a machine to create baby carrots, Whitman said, amassing a fortune and expanding the market tenfold.
"She changed carrots," Whitman said, using the Grimms as an example of Californians' creativity extending beyond Silicon Valley.
Whitman, who through an aide declined to talk to reporters, is among at least four gubernatorial candidates passing through Bakersfield recently -- including Democrat Gavin Newsom and Republicans Steve Poizner and Tom Campbell.
Poizner appeared at the CRA convention Friday. Campbell is speaking today.
Another possible Republican candidate, Peter Foy, also attended Saturday.
A raft of party luminaries -- Bakersfield Rep. Kevin McCarthy, former governor-hopeful Bill Simon (who said he's "exploring" a lieutenant governor run), Rep. Buck McKeon of Valencia, state Sens. Mark Wyland of Carlsbad and Tom Harman of Huntington Beach, who's running for state attorney general -- milled among attendees.
Prospects for a Republican governor are strong in California, history shows.
Comments Saturday made clear a conundrum facing the conservative wing in a liberal state -- stick to ideals or support a candidate who can win.
Bob Haueter, a staffer for McKeon, said his boss has endorsed Whitman.
Haueter is hoping the CRA focuses on fiscal conservatism and other unifying issues, leaving aside socially conservative ideals "so we don't end up electing a Democrat."
But Janine Heft of Laguna Hills, a city in Orange County, expressed a different view.
"There's no compromise with the CRA," said Heft, whose husband, Karl, is a vice president. A key issue for Heft is a candidate's stance on abortion.
"If someone is not pro-life ... that'll make the difference in whether I vote for them or not," she said.
Current CRA president Mike Spence will be handing reins to Bakersfield's Ken Mettler this year.
Spence said it's too early to predict who they'll endorse for governor.
And there are lots of questions ahead.
"We're polite, but we're tough," Spence said.
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