Blogger’s note – with regard to #CA49, I support Lisa Bartlett as I believe she is far more viable in that district than Mr. Maryott. However, the point of this post is much different than whomever your intrepid blogger is providing campaign assistance to. The CAGOP will cease to exist if their rules are made a mockery. The CAGOP will cease to exist if consultants are consistently allowed to prostitute the party and subordinate the will of the grassroots to a paycheck or agenda.

In Feb – Bryan Maryott went before the CAGOP’s board of directors for an endorsement. Despite the efforts of the people supporting Lisa Bartlett, Maryott quickly got 2/3 in Orange County and was endorsed on the first ballot by San Diego County’s Republican Party. By rule, with 100% of the underlying population’s local parties in support, Maryott was over the 80% threshold. You need 80% of more of the local parties endorsements to be eligible for a CAGOP endorsement. Most of the time (keep reading) these things are automatic at the state level.

When I wrote yesterday about Kevin Kiley, I was unaware that Howard Hakes had engineered a parliamentary maneuver to screw Bryan Maryott out of even being heard for a CAGOP Endorsement. Hakes, a significant donor and one of the most arrogant men I have ever dealt with, pulled the CA49 endorsement off the list of endorsements and then made a motion to table with Bryan Maryott waiting on the line to speak to the assembled CAGOP Board Meeting via Zoom. Jessica Patterson, the CAGOP Chair, went along with Hakes as he has been one of her biggest benefactors over the years.

Hakes is prominent in the New Majority and is currently the LAGOP Vice-Chair.

Bryan Maryott was told to leave the call. What a great look for the Party leadership.

Given what I learned about the internal corruption of the staff of the CAGOP and how they flout their own rules when it suits them, I was not surprised that they would allow Howard Hakes and his checkbook to circumvent the process of even allowing Maryott an up or down vote.

How does this relate to Kevin Kiley? The same forces arrayed against Maryott also support Sheriff Scott Jones over Kevin Kiley.

The meeting of the CAGOP’s board of directors is next week. I have no horse in the Kiley vs. Jones race. There are merits to both men for sure – but I would be remiss and inconsistent to NOT talk about the corruption of the CAGOP that continues to fester.

While some did not support Steve Frank for CAGOP Chair in 2021 because of personality issues, few challenged what he said about the state of the CAGOP. Steve Frank is still correct – the CAGOP has been overrun with consultants. While I get paid to do political work myself, I am still mystified as to why Consultants can not see the value in a healthy party structure and instead practice the axiom of, “If you can’t control it, destroy it.”

If Steve Frank was chair of the CAGOP I would not be writing this blog post. Maryott would have been endorsed in Feb and Kiley’s endorsement next week would not be in doubt.

Bryan Maryott played by the rules and earned the right to be endorsed by the CAGOP. One major donor who holds Party Office (speaking of conflicts of interest) should not be able to derail that.

Kevin Kiley likewise has earned the right to be endorsed by the CAGOP as well.

Neither man has an issue of moral turpitude or party disloyalty to disqualify them. Regardless of this blogger’s personal feelings or interests, both men have earned the endorsement and qualified for the endorsement and should be given said endorsement.